


Key to Satan's Island

by OnioSonofGoku



Category: Kingdom Hearts, Shina Dark (Manga)
Genre: Awkward Romance, F/M, Male-Female Friendship, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-27
Updated: 2020-07-14
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:54:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 24,461
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24404623
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OnioSonofGoku/pseuds/OnioSonofGoku
Summary: After his bout with the mysterious Yozora, Sora is understandably wounded and tired. This is when he is attacked by a mysterious entity known as the Master of Masters, who gives him a chilling declaration. 'The One Winged Seraph seeks that will make him whole and that which will grant him power. Fulfill your role and defeat him.' Afterwards, Sora is thrown into a portal, landing in the Kingdom of Estogloria before going to the cursed isle of Shina Dark to save the girls sent as Sacrifices. Now, Sora must find a way to get back his powers, find this One Winged Seraph, beat him, and train his new companions, Christina, an ailing bookworm of a princess, and Garlett, a proud, noble knight-princess, in how to face the Darkness.
Relationships: Kairi/Sora (Kingdom Hearts), Sora/Christina/Garlett
Comments: 2
Kudos: 5





	1. Chapter 1

Sora stumbled as he walked, his body heavy and weak. He’d not felt this weak since Riku woke him from his sleep during the Mark of Mastery. He wondered for a moment if that was his power leaving him. His fight with Yozora took everything he had. It was painful. He didn’t even have the mana to cast Cure. And he was sure he had some broken bones, definitely a few ribs.

He was just trudging along for now, trying to find a place to rest. He had to rest… He grunted as he ran into someone. “Oh, sorry…” He looked up tiredly at the person he’d bumped into, his eyes widening. It was a tall person in… the Organization’s cloak! He jumped back and materialized Ultima Weapon. “Who are you?!”

“Oh, don’t worry about me, I didn’t just have a kid headbutt me in the gut! Yeah, just swing a sword around! Great plan, kid!” The man shouted sarcastically, animatedly putting his fists to his hips.

“Like I care! I thought I took care of you all in the Keyblade War! If you’re here, that means Xehanort is here somewhere, right?”

“Xehanort? Oh! You mean Luxu’s apprentice! Nah, he’s dead, you made sure of that, kiddo.”

Sora gasped a bit. “Wait, you’re not with the Organization?”

“No way! Do I look like a bad guy to you?!” The guy leaned in as he shouted. Then he straightened up. “The Ultima Weapon. A fine weapon, worthy of a Keyblade Master. But I understand you bear the strongest of all Keyblades, don’t you, Sora?”

Sora glared at the guy before standing up straight and dismissing Ultima. He held out his hand and in a brilliant flash of light, the X-Blade appeared in it.

“Good. That weapon is what controls it all. Thank you so much for bringing it home.”

“What are you-!” The man seemed to turn ethereal and rush Sora. The tired boy didn’t have time stop him, or even time to counter. The man flew through Sora’s chest, making him feel like he’d been struck by a boulder and had something torn away. He fell to his knees, vomiting in the road. He stood slowly and conjured the Kingdom Key.

“Impressive.” The man turned to Sora slowly, the Ultima Weapon in his hand. “You really are quite powerful, so much potential, even after all you’ve done.”

The boy aimed the Keyblade at the man. “Fire!” Nothing happened. Sora looked on in horror.

“Figure it out yet, kiddo? I’ve taken your power along with all but one of your Keyblades, the one closest to your heart. But, even so, it would seem I could not separate the X-Blade from your heart. No problem.” The man lifted Sora’s Keyblade and aimed at his chest before a light fired from the end. Sora didn’t have time to block. His body was too weak. He screamed as the beam burned into his chest and he felt something lock. “There. Now, time for you to go.”

“I’m not going anywhere!” Sora roared as he launched at the man, jumping into the air and coming down with a vicious overhead slash. Imagine Sora’s shock as the man grabbed his Keyblade midswing. “What the-?” He spit up blood and bile as he was savagely bent over the man’s fist. He released Sora’s weapon and struck almost at the same instant.

The force of the blow sent Sora flying back, ripping a streetlight in two and then bending the second. He fell to the sidewalk in a heap, slowly moving to try and get back up before he felt the man’s boot on the back of his head. “Such dedication, even against a clearly superior opponent.” The boy screamed as he was kicked in his already broken ribs, flying across the street and into the wall. His vision went white as he was bounced against it hard enough to crater it.

When he hit the ground this time, he belched up a mouthful of blood, curling into himself. He could hardly breathe, let alone move, but he made himself look up at the man walking over to him. Sora screamed as the man gripped his hair and lifted him by it. “You truly are impressive. But, it’s time for our fun to end, Sora. You fulfilled your role, but you aren’t done just yet.”

“Who… are you?” He asked.

The man just stared for a moment before lifting the Ultima Weapon and giving it a twist. A portal opened to his side. “The One-Winged Seraph searches for what will make him whole and for what will give him power. Defeat him, Sora . When you wish to receive your power once, learn the heart of a ruler and come to me, the Master of Masters.”

Sora didn’t even have time to ask him what he meant, screaming as he was hurled into the portal. He spun and spun in the portal, finally starting to lose consciousness. The last thing he saw when he blacked out was the exit of the tunnel. The light of a new world.

* * *

Sora yawned as the ship he was on shifted and moved on the water. He was used to it, being a fisherman’s son. “Hey, kid, you awake in there?” one of the crewmates asked.

“Yeah, I’m up. You need something?” He asked in return, swinging in the hammock he’d been given.

“The captain wants you on deck, Hero. Shina Dark is in view.”

“Alright, I’m coming up.” He rolled out of the hammock, landing hard on his feet. He didn’t skip a beat as the ship lurched under him, heading for the stairs and yawning lightly as he did. He pushed the door open and squinted at the bright light of the sun.

It had been a few weeks since Sora had ended up in this world, Saint ul Gaia if he remembered right. He’d been spat out in a kingdom called Estogloria. It was a… rough place. From what he understood, the aristocracy, a new word for him, lived high on life while the commoners struggled to just eat. He made it a habit once his injuries were healed enough to go out on different bounties for the castle. The really high end ones, the ones the castle didn’t actually expect to ever get done. Like, slaying dragons. He completed each one in a days time for each quest.

He took a lot of pride in seeing the little bastard of a prince, Crispin’s face screwing up in rage and bewilderment every time Sora returned from a seemingly ‘impossible’ quest. The younger prince, Darcy, however, was good in Sora’s book. He even tutored the guy a bit in swordsmanship. Man had talent, but he never beat Sora once in the time he tutored him.

Their mother, oh man, their mother Catherine LOVED Sora. Enough that it made the Keybearer a bit uncomfortable to be around her. Though, she didn’t like the fact that after every quest when he’d collect his reward money, he’d give all but what he absolutely needed to the people in the town he lived in. He’d help them start up farms, pay off debts, even build and fix old buildings. They called him their ‘Sky Angel’.

She also didn’t like the fact that he’d keep turning down the invitations she sent him to have dinner with the royal family. She was finally to get him there by having Darcy invite Sora. It was… a night. Sora was asked about where he was from, how he got so strong, and about the odd weapon he carried. He was fairly vague with the answers. After that, he was offered a position on the Royal Guard as a Captain. He’d have his own hand picked squad and he’d answer directly to the queen as well as be paid a rather ridiculous amount of money.

He turned her down, naturally, much to their shock. The pretty boy prince tried to get uppity and started screaming in Sora’s face about him being a rude foreign trash monster, but he was quickly quieted when Sora’s eyes shifted to dark amber for a moment and he felt a horrid darkness crash down on him.

Sora said he was turning them down for a good reason. “I’m just trying to find a way home and helping people around me while I’m doing it. I have a lot of friends waiting for me.”

Despite this, the queen did still give Sora the title of ‘Hero’ for his service to the Kingdom and then made him a squire to a Hero by the name of Duke A. Highland. Guy was an idiot that thought only of himself. Not really what Sora considered a Hero. He figured his squire-ship was because he turned down Catherine’s offer. In his time there, he’d heard about a powerful demon by the name of Exoda Cero Claw, a being that had been taking girls from the kingdoms, including the princess of Estogloria and the neighboring kingdom of Vansable. Christina and Garlett.

Besides wondering if maybe this demon could help him find a way home, he wanted to save those girls and give them a chance to go home. He didn’t know how strong this Exoda guy was, and he was substantially weaker right now, but that didn’t mean he was just gonna let this go. From what he understood, Darcy was the only one that liked Christina. Why? He didn’t know. He just knew that there were issues with the family.

Sora convinced a merchant ship to let him ride for what little bit of money he had left. When he told Darcy his plan to head to Shina Dark, he asked him to take a letter to his sister.Sora didn’t see any issue in lending a helping hand to a friend.

A lot of the sailors had heard of the powerhouse that finished every quest given, so they were pretty surprised to see it was a short, brown haired boy. Their suspicions were put to rest when Sora took on a Sea King, a giant water serpent, and won without much more than a scratch.

He’d been ready to sleep in the cargo hold, but the captain told him that after his little display, which his ‘superior’ conveniently missed due to him getting drunk at a tavern, he was welcome to the crews quarters if he could find a hammock. He was basically a crew member, helping out with the day to day maintenance stuff. He even cooked for the crew, something they all were happy about considering Sora was a fantastic cook from his time being used to cook by Lil’ Chef.

“Sora!” He blinked the light from his eyes and the rest of the ship came in view as the boy turned to look at the helm. He jumped up to the helm where the captain, the eldest of the Layla sisters, and her helmsman stood. “Good morning to you too. We’re approaching the Demon’s Island. Shina Dark.” The woman passed Sora a spy glass. He took it and looked through it, seeing a blown up version of the island that everyone was so scared of.

“Seems normal to me.”

“Looks can be deceiving. I promise. Now, why not go and let your Hero know we’ll make landfall soon.” It was said as more of an order than a suggestion, but Sora didn’t mind it. Other than the fact that her and her sisters teased him so much it was a wonder his head didn’t light on fire, he had a lot of respect for them.

He hopped down from the helm and walked into the captains quarters, which Duke had taken over when he got on the ship, and woke the two mages that were travelling with them. “Hey, we’re almost there.” The sister was slow to wake up, but the boy was on his feet almost immediately.

“Sora, I’d be careful. It would seem that Duke spent the night with a few of the girls from port.” Sora sighed a bit at the black mages warning.

“Of course he did. What does he even do with all those girls?” The two mages just stared at Sora in bewilderment as he knocked on the door to the bedroom. “Duke! We’ll make landfall in about an hour, so get ready!”

“Yes, yes, I hear you. I’ll be ready, squire. Would you do me a favor and bring some drinks for me and the ladies?”

Sora groaned loudly and rubbed his temples. “I’ve only been up ten minutes and he’s already giving me a headache.” He mumbled. He wouldn’t do any of this if it wasn’t for the fact that he needed to get to the island. Hell, if he could glide the several hundred miles from Estogloria to Shina Dark, he would. He was happy that his Flowmotion and movement skills were more or less unaffected by the Master of Masters attack, but it sucked when he had be slow and take his time to get places.

He went below deck and returned with a bottle of Duke’s personal wine. He found out that he didn’t really care for wine when the blonde idiot convinced him to try some, but far be it for him to say someone’s tastes were wrong. He came back and pounded on the door.

“Come in.”

“You may wanna cover your eyes when you go in.” The black mage warned.

Sora just looked at him oddly before stepping into the room. He really should have listened. “Oh, geez!” He turned around to face the wall, his cheeks a brilliant red. Duke was in bed with two young, very pretty and busty girls who didn’t seem to have any shame in showing off their bodies.

“Oh, come now, Sora, you act as though you’ve not seen a woman’s body before.” Duke joked as the girls cuddled into him, giggling at the boy’s obvious embarrassment.

“I-I haven’t, not like that! Cover up, please!” he pleaded.

“Oh my, what an innocent boy. Your squire has yet to feel the touch of a woman, Duke-sama?”

“It would seem that way. Well, if one of you ladies would like to remedy that, I’d not stop you. Sora has been a fine squire to me and deserves a reward.” Duke said.

“Oooh! I love the innocent ones!” One of the girls said.

Sora didn’t know what they were talking about with the whole ‘touch of a woman’ thing, but he wasn’t apt to find out. He put the bottle of wine on a table by the door and walked out as quickly as he could, ignoring the laughter behind him.

“Told you.” The brother said dryly.

“Shut up.” He went back out onto the deck, busying himself from the thoughts plaguing him now. He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t curious about what they were talking about, but he wasn’t going to ask Duke about it. Absolutely not. Once he was done with that he simply Flowmotioned his way onto the end of the ship’s ram, staring out over the blue waves, smiling at how they reflected the light. He took a deep breath of the cool ocean air. He could smell the salt, the water. It made him think of home. It made him think of his mission.

He stayed on the ram, looking out over the sea as Duke finally emerged from the quarters. He was ready.

* * *

He wasn’t ready. Not for this. The girls in the town were cheering loudly and tossing flowers at their feet. One girl even put a flower wreathe in Sora’s hair. He’d blushed brightly at the gesture and thanked her, but he had to keep moving. Duke was doing his thing, waving and greeting them courteously, but Sora could tell he didn’t care about them. Apparently, Maou found out they were there and came to meet them himself. Along with a party of his own.

Duke glared at the silver haired man of the group. “Are you the demon king, Exoda Cero Claw? I am Duke A. Highland! I stake my title as Hero on this battle! I am here to take your life! Prepare yourself!” The mages to his side shouted their own insults and Sora… Sora just groaned.

“I’m afraid you are mistaken. I am not the demon king. He is.” The silver haired man indicated to a drab looking man behind him. Even Sora was a bit disbelieving in this one.

“Wait, that tired old guy is the demon king?” He asked. The man bowed his head in depression as a little girl in a maid outfit consoled him.

Then his head snapped up. “Wait! You can’t just skip right to the main boss! You gotta deal with the mid-boss first!”

“If that’s the case, then they should handle the mini-boss first.” The silver haired man pushed the girl in front of them.

“What?! I-I can’t fight them! I’m just a maid! Besides, it’s almost time for dinner!”

“I have things to do as well.”

“Well, then we can’t do this today I guess.” The party turned and started walking off, leaving the two pretty girls they came with staring in disbelief.

“ ** **DON’T GO AWAY!**** ” The three yelled at the demon king as Sora watched, simply rubbing his temples. This wasn’t going to end well. “Quit making excuses, you coward! Prepare yourself!” Duke drew his saber and roared as he rushed the demon king and the mages started chanting a curse.

Sora watched as Maou jumped over Duke and tossed meat buns into the mages mouths to shut them up. He landed as Duke turned to slash at him, his expression turning to horror as the shabby looking man grabbed his blade and stopped it dead. The Hero screamed as Maou just flicked him away. Sora made a whistling sound as the man fell back to the ground and a cartoon-ish explosion sound for when he hit the ground.

It didn’t end well, but it made Sora laugh. Maou looked at him oddly and he shrugged. He didn’t like the guy. Sue him.

“Those that don’t have the power to seal me shouldn’t try. Give up.”

“I don’t have the power?!” Duke started as a girl ran over to him.

“Duke-sama!”

The moment she touched his arm, he slapped her away and she fell on her backside. “Don’t touch me, you filthy peon! I don’t want sympathy from the Demon King’s women!”

Maou made a move forward as a dark aura surrounded him, but he stopped as Duke cried out from being savagely kicked in the ribs by Sora. The ‘Hero’ rolled over the ground for a few feet as Sora offered his hand to the girl. He smiled kindly to her as well, her cheeks flushing gently. “It’s okay. I won’t hurt you. Trust me.”

She gingerly placed her hand in his and he helped her stand before realizing she was limping. She must have twisted her ankle when Duke knocked her down. “Someone come and take her, she’s hurt!” A couple of other girls came over and lead the girl away from Sora.

“Sora, you little traitor! How dare yo-!” Duke’s accusation was cut off by Sora kicking him hard enough in the jaw that it seemed to daze the man.

“Wait, Sora? That name sounds familiar.”

“Yeah, I’ve heard of him! He was some boy found by the royal family in Estogloria!”

“He’s completed every quest he’s ever been given! He even slew a Tyrant Dragon single-handedly!”

“But why is he betraying Duke-sama!?”

Sora grabbed the man by his armor, lifting him off the ground as easily as he would a child. The man shouted and whimpered in fear before going quiet. The color drained from his bleeding face. The look in Sora’s eyes was not one of an angry man, but one of a man with nothing to lose, one of such absolute fury that it would burn a hole in any man’s soul.

“You’re supposed to be a hero, someone the people can look to in their time of need! A real hero puts everyone’s needs before theirs! These girls, their happiness, their safety, should be your only concern! You don’t deserve to be called a hero, you gutless little brat!” Sora pulled a hand from the man’s armor and put it on his forehead. Duke’s eyes immediately rolled back. For seconds, not minutes or hours, seconds that seemed to drag on, they stayed like that.

Then Sora dropped the man who scrambled away from him, looking like he’d just seen absolute hell. “Scary, isn’t it? What just felt like years to you was five seconds. That place is very real. So here’s my warning, Duke A. Highland.” Sora knelt down to look into the traumatized man’s eyes. “If I ever see you touting that ‘Hero’ title again, or if I see you set foot on this island again, I will grab you,” Sora grabbed him again, warping the man’s armor in his grip as he lifted him back up. “And I will personally toss you into the deepest, darkest pit of the Realm of Darkness I can find. And I will leave you there for the rest of eternity, alone, wandering, trying to find the light again. Understood?” Duke nodded so fast it was a wonder he didn’t break his neck. “Good. Then get out of my sight.” He tossed the man aside before turning to the watching party.

They were all well and truly horrified by the display. All but Maou. He stepped forward. “If you’re gonna tell me I went too far, don’t bother.”

“Actually, what I was gonna say was probably just as bad. Sora of an unknown land. You spoke of a Realm of Darkness. Tell me, does the Land of Departure still stand?”

 _He knows?_ “Yeah, now. It didn’t for about ten years.”

“And what of Masters Eraqus and Xehanort?”

Sora was quiet for a bit. “Xehanort murdered Eraqus in cold blood from what I understand. And I killed Xehanort.”

“You?” He asked in disbelief as the maid and the butler just looked at each other.

Sora’s bangs hung in his face, obscuring his eyes. “He started another Keyblade War. And killed someone that means everything to me, all to forge the X-Blade.”

“... Did he succeed?” Sora nodded slowly. Maou sighed. “I knew them. Both of them from the time they were just children. They both were very kind, but Xehanort courted the darkness and I could see that he’d be taken by it. I’m sorry. I should have stopped him before he did.”

“Are you a Keyblade Wielder?” Sora asked.

“No. I just had many friends that were. What of your friend?”

“... I did something… dumb to save her. It worked, but it cost me the ability to go home. To see her, any of my friends again. And then my powers were taken away, so I’m stuck here. It’s why I’m on Shina Dark. If the legend about you was right, I was going to defeat you and send these girls back to their homes.”

“A foolish idea, thinking you could defeat Maou-sama.” The butler said.

“Vincent, if anyone could beat me outside the Legendary Hero, it would be this boy.” The entirety of the people around them gasped in shock and began to murmur. “And? What is the decision you’ve come to?”

“... You don’t seem like the monster in the legends.” Sora smiled sadly as a few tears ran down his cheeks. “I just wanna go home.”

“A feeling many here can sympathize with, I’m sure. I’m sorry, Sora, but I doubt I have the power to send you back.”

The red-haired girl stepped forward. “Hold on, you’re saying this boy could beat you?” She looked on in disbelief at Sora, who just smiled and waved after wiping his cheeks. “He looks like he’d get beaten by a bad cold!”

“Hey!”

“Look, I don’t know about all this talk of Keyblades and Dark Realms, but I doubt this boy could beat Maou or even me. It’s probably just another case of Estogloria using rumors to bolster itself.”

“Garlett-” Maou started, but was cut off by Sora.

“Hey, I don’t go around insulting people or calling ‘em liars! I’m plenty strong! I could take you without my Keyblade!”

The girl narrowed her green eyes at the boy who walked up to her, staring her down in return with his fists on his hips. He was several inches taller than her, having grown a fair bit in the past few weeks to catch up with the year of time hopping from one heart to the next, so it wasn’t hard for them to lock eyes. The blonde girl stepped between them. “Please, we-we shouldn’t be fighting with this many people around! Someone could get hurt.”

Sora and Garlett growled at each other before huffing and looking away, crossing their arms.

“Spiky haired dork.”

“Bratty ginger.”

Garlett rounded on the boy, practically burning with rage. “WHAT DID YOU JUST CALL ME, YOU PORCUPINE-HEADED FREAK?!”

They slammed their heads together. “YOU HEARD ME, YOU RED-HEADED BANSHEE!”

“I WILL RIP OUT YOUR HEART!”

“BRING IT ON!”

The two slugged each other hard in their faces, making the air ripple around them. They both stayed like that for a moment before falling over backwards, their eyes swirling. When it came to fighting monsters, Sora was hard as a rock, when it came to fighting a girl on a demonic island, he had a glass jaw.

* * *

_Wake up, Lazy Bum._

_We’ll name the raft the Highwind._

_Sora…_

_Lead me into Everlasting darkness!_

_Take good care of Kairi._

_I’ll come back for you, I promise!_

_I know you will!_

**_**You require motivation.** _ **

“ ** **KAIRI!**** ” Sora shot up in bed, panting like he’d just run a marathon and sweating like it too.

“What?! What’s wrong?!” A female voice asked… beside him? He looked to his side to see a blonde girl in…

“... Does whatever you’re wearing even constitute as clothing?” It seemed Sora didn’t realize he was in nothing but his underwear.

“Ugh, why are you two being so loud?” Sora looked on his other side to see the girl he’d been arguing with, Garlett if he remembered right, laying beside him yawning. She was in an outfit just as compromising, making Sora’s face flush an even deeper shade of red then Garlett’s hair. She looked at him with one eye open as she rubbed her head. “What? Never seen a girl in her nightie before?”

“Why are you two in bed with me?! Wait, where are we?!”

“Castle Arcadia.” He turned back to the blonde girl. She flushed and looked down, trying to cover herself with her arms. “A-after you and Garlett hit each other, Maou and Vincent carried you back here.”

“Originally, we were gonna sleep with Maou, but he convinced us to come in here and watch over you.” Garlett said before laying back in the bed and rolling over with her back to Sora.

He’d never met a girl that could anger him and…make him feel things he’s never felt at the exact same time! God, she was infuriating!

“Who’s Kairi?” Sora went still, looking back at the blonde woman. “You were crying out for her. Who is she? Is she your lover?”

He felt his cheeks warm again, but he just shook his head. “Remember my story? About Xehanort, the War?” She nodded. “She’s the friend he killed. All to make me angry. All to make the X-Blade.” He shook his head again. “I’m sorry. I can’t say anymore.”

“Can’t or won’t?” Garlett asked.

“If you’re gonna grill me for answers, you could at least look at me.” They were all quiet for a moment before the girl rolled over and looked at Sora… well, glared at Sora. He just smiled kindly. “There. Now I can hear you better.”

She blushed lightly and just glared harder as the blonde giggled behind Sora. “You didn’t answer me.”

Sora sighed a bit. “I only said what I did because Maou already knows my secret. I can’t tell you anymore then what you’ve already heard.”

“Then tell us about you.” was Garlett’s response.

“Yeah. That sounds like a fun conversation. ‘Hi, I’m Sora. I’m a guy that’s gifted with enormous power and all I’ve done with it is get my friends and loved ones hurt.’ Good talk.” He groaned and flopped backwards into the bed.

Garlett and the blonde girl Sora should have asked for the name of by now just stared at him. “Sora-sama, you’re not the only one with a responsibility weighing on them. Me and Garlett, the rest of the girls, we’re all here to keep our homes safe and peaceful.”

“Maou isn’t that kind of monster. I can vouch for it.” He sat back up and looked at the blonde girl. “You can go home any time.”

She just shook her head. “No. We can’t.” Sora looked at her, confused. “Even if we did, we’d be made to spend our lives in the convent or to live in a tower far from others. No one would ever trust a woman who set foot on Satan’s Island.”

He was speechless before looking down at his lap. “Your homes would really do that to you?” They both nodded. He sighed through his nose. “I’m sorry. That was… cruel of me to say. I didn’t know.”

“It’s alright.” The blonde said before smiling lightly. “I… suppose I should introduce myself. I’m Christina Rey Holden, Thirteenth Heir of Estogloria.”

Garlett sighed as she sat up. “I’m Garlett Fey Sowage, Fourth Princess of Vansable.”

“... Sora. I don’t have a fancy title. Not one I can use openly, at least.” They both chuckled at that. That’s when Sora realized something. He pulled up the blanket and then put it back down, blushing brightly. “… I just realized I’m in my underwear. In bed with two girls.”

“We’re in our small clothes too, ya know?” Garlett said.

“Not making it any better Garlett, I promise.” Sora said before hiding under the blanket. The girls just stared at him. “Wait.” He came back out looking like he had just seen a ghost. “My charm. Where’s my Wayfinder?!”

“Oh! It’s right here.” Christina grabbed it off a bedside table, passing it to Sora who quickly snatched it, looking it over closely. “I just thought it would be better to take it out of your overcoat while Noel-sama cleaned it. I’m sorry.”

“N-no, it’s okay.” He played with the star shaped charm a bit. “… My friend Kairi, the girl I was just dreaming about, made it for me. She made one for each of us, me, her, and Riku. We’d been working on a raft to use to get off the island and see other worlds beyond our little home in the ocean. She gave these to us the day before we were set to leave.” He gave a light chuckle, but one could tell, there was no real laughter.

“That was the same day I left Destiny Islands to find her and Riku. The same day the Darkness took away my home. My family, my other friends. Back then, it didn’t dawn on me until the end that unless I finish what I started, I was never gonna see my home again. When I feel like I’m lost and I don’t know what to do, I just hold this close to my heart and I can feel Kairi and Riku right next to me, helping me to figure out where to go next. It’s the most precious thing I own.”

He felt gentle, soft fingers wrap around his free hand. Christina smiled gently at him. “That was… a wonderful thing to tell us, Sora-sama. Thank you.”

Garlett was quiet, making the two look at her in expectation. “What? I’m a knight, I don’t do emotion.” The two of them started to laugh at that, the redhead joining in after a moment.

“Well, do you… Wait., you said earlier you were gonna sleep with Maou. Why do you need to be dressed like that for sleeping? All the girls I know just wear a… less revealing dress to bed.”

They just stared at him. “Sora, can you tell me what the Book of Satan says Maou will do with his concubines?” Garlett asked.

“Well, it says he’ll take thousands of girls to be his concubines and then take ten or more to bed with him every night. I just have one question. What’s a concubine?”

 ** _ **Oh, good God.**_** The girls thought. “Where do babies come from, Sora-sama?” Christina asked.

Sora blinked. “Well, that’s easy. When a man woman get married and decide they want a kid, they write a letter about the kid they want and tie it to a balloon. They send it up and nine months later, a stork brings the baby to them.” Both the girls stared at him blank faced. “What?”

Vincent was walking by the guest bedroom where Sora and the princesses were, doing his usual rounds. Being the prince of the undead, he rarely slept. He stopped as he heard… laughter. He poked his head into the room to see the Vansable Princess on her back, laughing uncontrollably, Sora just looking confused and Christina trying hard to not be in the same position as Garlett.

“... Is something the matter?” He asked.

“Christina asked me where babies came from and I told them.” Sora answered.

Vincent lifted a brow as Garlett just started laughing harder and Christina’s face started to turn red from holding it in. “And pray tell, Sora, what did you tell them?” Sora told the butler the same thing he’d told the girls. The undead prince just stared at the boy before wordlessly walking off. The next thing they heard was boisterous laughter from down the hall. Sora grumbled as Christina tried to console him.


	2. Into the Labyrinth

Sora yawned as he sat at the dining room table at the end opposite Maou. “Long night, Hero?”

“You could say that. Christina and Garlett spent most of the night laughing at me for some reason.” The girls started to snicker, making Sora glare at them.

“Ah, well, it’s good to hear that you’re getting along.”Marple giggled in Maou’s lap as she watched them talk to each other. Sora smiled at the girl, making faces at her which only made her laugh harder. It made the princesses laugh too, this time, much less annoyingly for him.

“Sorry to keep you waiting! I have breakfast!” Noel said happily as she entered the room. Vincent wordlessly sat down at the table as the maid got to setting the food out. “Okay, for the princess of Estogloria, fresh baked bread! For the princess of Vansable, fresh cooked rice! And for our island Hero, fresh seared sea bass!”

“Whoo! Thanks, Noel!” Sora said as she set out the rest of the food. Once everyone was set up, Noel took her seat, Vincent, her, Maou, Marple, and Sora all clapped their hands together. “ ** **Itadakimasu!**** ” He tore into his fish happily, humming lightly. “Mmm… Noel, best sea bass I’ve ever had short of my mom’s. Let me know when you’re ready to start lunch, I can help. I’m a really good cook.”

“Thank you, Sora-sama! And I’ll let you know! I’m always happy to have help in the kitchen.”

“Powerful, idealistic, and you can cook. You’ll make a lucky girl a very happy bride one day.” Maou said. Sora started choking on his fish at the mention of him being a groom.

He took a drink that had been offered to him, taking a few deep breaths. “Oh, okay, that hurt. I’m a bit young to be thinking about that, ya know?”

Maou lifted a brow. “Sora, how old are you?”

He pulled out his Gummiphone, making them all look at him oddly. “… Seventeen today. It’s my birthday.” He said in awe. He leaned back into his seat, looking like he’d just realized something. “Has it really been three years?”

“Three years since what?” Garlett asked.

“Since I’ve seen home. I visited the island where we’d play as kids… twice in the last three years, but I never set foot on the main island. I… didn’t have time. Mom is going to kill me.”

They all chuckled a bit before Sora noticed the odd looks Garlett and Christina were giving. “Something wrong, you two?”

“It’s just… eating with the servants… Not that I’m against it!” Garlett shouted.

Maou chuckled a bit as Vincent took over. “It’s always been like this.”

“It’s a tradition here on Shina Dark. If I were to eat alone, it just wouldn’t feel right.” Maou said.

“Besides, food tastes better when you eat together! Me, Donald, and Goofy always ate together when we were travelling.” Sora said as he took some more of his fish. He popped it in his mouth and then noticed that Christina was only picking at her food while Maou and Garlett asked for seconds. He asked for some too and got another fish, which he split in two and slid over to Christina. She looked surprised at him as he stuffed the other half in his face.

He swallowed it quickly and smiling brightly at the blonde princess. “You should eat more. You don’t wanna get sick cause you didn’t eat enough.”

She blushed brightly and smiled, shrinking back a bit. She didn’t eat as much as Sora would have liked, but at least she ate more than a few bites.

After breakfast, they all got ready to do their own things. Maou grabbed a pole and a bucket. “And where are you going?”

“Fishing! I’m gonna teach Marple-chan.”

“As for me,” Sora started, “I’m gonna go do some training. I’m sure the girls in town are still expecting some big showdown, so I wanna be ready.”

“Neither of you are leaving.” Vincent said, grabbing both men as they started out the door.

“ ** **HUH?!**** ”

“Maou-sama, you have paperwork you need to start and you, Sora, are long, LONG overdue an anatomy and reproduction lesson.”

“What?! Paperwork?!”

“Anatomy? I don’t even know how to spell that, let alone what it is!”

Vincent sat Maou in his seat at his desk as Garlett offered aid Maou. Christina walked over to Vincent as the undead butler yanked Sora back when he tried to sneak out. “Vincent-sama, if it’s alright, I’d be happy to help you tutor Sora-sama.”

“I welcome the aid. I feel as though I’ll need it.”

“Hey!”

Vincent dragged Sora away, followed by Christina and sat him at a desk in the adjacent room before grabbing a book from the wall. He had Christina bring some paper and a quill for the boy before she too took a seat beside him. She knew this was gonna be an embarrassing lesson to have, but she didn’t figure Sora would want to do it alone.

“Now, open your book to page 45, Sora.” Vincent said as pulled around a chalk board.

“You got it, Teach.” He said sarcastically, opening the book and lifting a brow. “Uhh…”

“That, Sora, is a vagina. The female reproductive organ.”

“T-the what?!” This was going to take a while.

* * *

“AAAAAHHHH!”

“What’s wrong, Noel?” Maou asked before they all jumped as Sora kicked in the door to the room he’d been in with Vincent and Christina. He ran out and conjured the Keyblade.

“Is something attacking?! Please tell me something is attacking!” Christina and Sora were equally red-faced from the very detailed outlining of sexual reproduction that Vincent had given in his lesson. He talked about hings that even Christina hadn’t known.

“We’re in a deficit!” Noel screamed.

Sora leaned over to Christina. “What’s a deficit?”

“It means, we’re broke, Sora.” Maou said, holding his head. “How did this happen?”

“Well, since the people have sent so many sacrifices,” Vincent started as he grabbed a paper from the desk. “It would seem that Shina Dark’s population is now over one thousand.”

“A thousand?! Jeez! This island is huge compared to mine!” Sora said in awe.

“How many people were on your island, Sora?” Garlett asked.

“I don’t know, maybe a couple hundred at the most?”

“Wow, you really are a small town kid.”

“A thousand people’s worth… No wonder the money is disappearing.” Maou said.

“If it goes on, we’ll only be able to eat properly for the next 13 days!” Noel shrieked.

Maou checked his pockets and pulled out a coin. “1 rion. Damn, that’s not enough.”

“That’s old coinage, sir. You can’t use that anymore.” Vincent informed.

Maou was about to pocket it again as Garlett snatched it away. “This is an Elude Coin!” She shouted.

“Eh?” Sora was confused. Shocking.

“Elude metal is very rare and highly sought after.” Christina said.

“Just this one coin is worth at least a thousand rions!” Garlett finished.

“Well, if it’s that, we should be fine. We’ve got plenty to toss out.” Vincent said

Maou rubbed the back of his head. “Yeah, but going ****there**** is a pain, though.”

“To go where?” Sora asked as Vincent pressed a button on the wall and a hidden staircase began to open up under the floor. “Whoa! A hidden staircase! Cool!”

“Lucky us! The traps are set to level 1 today!” Noel announced.

“What’s that mean?” Garlett asked.

“Depending on the day, the traps in the labyrinth will range from level 1 to 100.” Vincent answered.

“A stubborn old man made it a long time ago. Even I’ve found it difficult when it’s over Level 70.” Maou said.

Christina looked a bit worried, but when she looked over at Sora, he was practically shaking with anticipation. It was rather adorable. It was hard to believe this boy was only a few months younger than her. They were slow to descend, taking every precaution. Once they stepped off the stairwell, a massive door slammed behind them.

Sora looked back at the door. It was more a wall than a door, so the Keyblade wouldn’t unlock it. He figured Maou or Vincent knew how to get out. The he noticed something else. “Marple?! What are you doing here!?”

Maou picked her up and she started flailing her arms angrily. “You can’t just follow us around like that, Marple-chan.”

“I doubt she’ll listen to us. She’s at that age.” Vincent said.

“It’s fine, isn’t it? I mean, it’s only trap level 1 today.” Garlett said.

“I don’t think that’s how it works, Garlett.” Sora said before-

**_**CONK!!!** _ **

A couple of pans fell down and slammed into Garlett and Christina’s heads, knocking them both over. When they got up, Christina looked almost ready to cry and Garlett just looked angry. “Is this place making fun of us!? It’s starting to piss me off!”

“Both of you, wait!” Too late. Noel cried out as the floor opened under the girls feet, dropping them screaming into the labyrinth.

Sora, being the hero that he was, jumped in headfirst after them. He dove down and caught Garlett, spinning in midair so that he hit the ground feet first with her in his arms princess style. She flushed brightly as the torch light on the column’s of the labyrinth shown down on him, illuminating him. With that smile of his, he resembled a hero from the stories her old teacher’s wife used to tell her. A handsome hero guided by the light.

He gently set her on her feet before looking to the water. “I’ll be back. Stay here.” He ran to the pool before Garlett could stop him, jumping high into the air before swan diving into the water. He conjured his Keyblade and started spinning it like a prop as he dove deeper into the water. _There!_ He sped towards the flailing Christina were had obviously already lost all her breath. She was sinking, fast and even if Sora grabbed her now, she’d probably drown before they got to the surface.

He swam up to her and she stopped struggling. He could tell she was fighting to stay conscious, so he had to act fast. He gently cupped her cheek and pressed her lips to her. She eeped and opened her mouth, letting him breathe into her. Thanks to his magic, he could breathe underwater, but Donald never taught him how to pass the spell onto others.

She went rigid when she felt his lips on hers, but then she felt him breathing into her mouth. It wasn’t ideal, but she needed it. He pulled back when he’d felt she’d gotten what she needed and turned. She wrapped her arms around his neck before he sped off up to the surface. They broke the surface and Sora practically flew until he landed beside Garlett, letting Christina step off his back before she fell back onto her butt.

“Guess this is the labyrinth’s way of telling us to keep a cool head. You alright?” Garlett said as she knelt beside the blonde.

Christina coughed a bit, but nodded. She then looked up at Sora and noticed the weapon in his hand. She’d been so embarrassed by Vincent’s earlier lesson she hadn’t thought to ask about it, but now she had the chance. “Sora-sama, what is that sword you’re using?”

“Huh?” He presented the Kingdom Key to the girls. “This is the Keyblade. It’s called the Kingdom Key, but there are a lot of different forms of it.”

“Keyblade? So that’s the weapon you and Maou were talking about yesterday.” Garlett said in wonder.

Sora was about to offer her the chance to look at it more closely, but something exploded out of the water. It was some kind of giant worm monster. They all just stared for a moment before screaming and running away, Sora picking up Christina when she started to falter.

She just stared at him. This boy had gone out of his way twice to help her when he didn’t need to. She smiled a bit despite the situation they were in. Maybe this boy actually did deserve the title of ‘Hero’.

They skidded around the corner as the monster snapped at Sora’s butt. “AHHHH!! OWOWOWOWOW!” He set Christina down and started fanning his butt. “That hurt!”

The princesses giggled a bit at the boys childish actions. “Thank you, Sora-sama. For… saving me, again.” Christina said quietly.

Sora looked back up at her and smiled, gently wrapping the shivering princess in his surprisingly large hoody. “Hey, don’t mention it. That’s what friends do, right?”

They both blinked. “Friends?” Garlett parroted.

Sora pat his shorts a bit, realizing something. His Wayfinder had been on his belt. He looked back down the hall, growling a bit. He looked back at the girls. What did he do!?

“Sora, what’s wrong with you?”

“My Wayfinder! I-I think that monster must have gotten it when it bit me!” He kept looking between the girls and the hall back down to the pool. He sighed and leaned into the wall before punching it. “Come on, let’s find a way back to everyone.” He said, walking down the hall away from the monster had taken his prized treasure.

Garlett and Christina looked at each other before they both grabbed Sora by his shoulders and yanked him back down the hall. “H-hey! What are you two-”

“We can handle ourselves! We’ll find Maou and the others and come back for you.” Garlett said. “You need to get that Wayfinder thing back.”

“But-”

“No buts.” Christina said. “You told us last night that that charm was your most prized possession. If you say I’m your friend, then you can understand that I don’t want you to lose something that important to you.” She took his hand, squeezed it a bit and smiled. “Go. We’ll be okay. Garlett-sama is more than strong enough for us both.”

The boy seemed conflicted. But then he sighed and looked to Garlett and conjured the Keyblade. “The Keyblade is particular about who uses it, but I can loan it to those with strong hearts. I don’t think you’ll need it, but just in case.”

The redhead nodded and slowly reached out, taking the weapon in hand. Sora waited a few seconds and when it didn’t return to him immediately, he smiled and turned to start running back. “What about you?”

He looked back and smiled. “I can fight without the Keyblade. I’ll be okay!” He jumped into the air and started wall jumping back down the hall. _I said that, but what little magic I do have isn’t very strong right now. Well, I guess I’ll just have to rely on old fashioned grit and rage._

He got back to the pool and the worm burst back out, the Wayfinder hanging from one of it’s protruding teeth. It roared loudly at him, the boy just glaring at it as the wind kicked up by the monster’s voice whipped around him. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He exhaled slowly and opened them. They had changed from blue to amber. He was calling on his inner darkness to help him fight this battle. It would enhance his speed and power long enough to get the Wayfinder back. He just had to buy enough time to fully transform.

As he launched at the monster, a ball of darkness formed around him.

* * *

The princesses stood in the hall, waiting. Neither of them had the intent of leaving Sora behind. They just knew he wouldn’t leave if they didn’t say that.

“There you are!” They turned and saw Noel standing there. “They’re over here, Maou-sama!”

Maou walked around the corner to see the girls, Vincent close behind. “It’s good to see you’re both safe.”

“Yes, but my clothes are rather soaked. Though, I have Sora-sama to thank for getting out of the water at all.”

“Speaking of whom, he went back to where we were attacked by some huge monster. It got a precious charm of his and he wanted it back. He left his… Keyblade thing with me in case I needed it.”

“He left his Keyblade behind to go fight a treasure eater?” Vincent asked in disbelief.

“That’s not good. Treasure eaters aren’t normally aggressive, but they aren’t the kind to just let someone take from them.” Maou was cut off by the sound of the treasure eater roaring before… something else did too.

It made Christina and Garlett freeze in primal fear. It sounded like a scream, but it was horribly distorted and dark. It frightened them both. Even with all the training Garlett had received and the hell Christina had endured, they were scared of whatever that was.

“That… doesn’t sound like a treasure eater.” Maou said. Almost as soon as he finished his sentence, the treasure eater roared again, this time, in pain.

“You don’t think whatever that other thing was was Sora-sama, do you?” Noel asked, almost comically trembling.

Maou didn’t answer, simply running down the hall to where the fight was happening. The rest of the party followed behind, stopping and staring as the now beaten treasure eater retreated into the water. Sora stood at the edge of the pool, his Wayfinder in his hand. Garlett and Christina were gobsmacked.

“He… He actually beat it. He beat that giant monster.” Garlett said in awe.

None but Maou and Vincent noticed the swirling darkness dissipating around him. Vincent found it a bit odd, but Maou… He’d seen that before. In Xehanort. He made a mental note to ask Sora about it when they got out of the labyrinth.

“Sora-sama, how-” Christina started. She stopped when he turned around. He had blood from the treasure eater splattered on his face and hands.

He tilted his head and lifted a brow at the blondes startled expression. “What’s wrong?” He then noticed his hands felt sticky and looked down at them. “Ew!” He sniffed the air and rubbed his face with his clean forearm. “Oh, it’s on my face too! Oh, oh god, it smells awful! Ewwww, get it off!”

The group started laughing a bit as Sora jumped around before he dove into the water and jumped out on the other side. He jumped and used Doubleflight to get back over to them before shaking the water off like a dog. “Ewww, I’m gonna reek for the next week now.”

“Oh, don’t whine, Sora-sama!” Noel said cheerfully. “You can just bathe when we get back!”

“Oh. Well, if you guys don’t mind it until then-”

“Just stay down wind, porcupine head.” Garlett said.

“Hey! I could have just let you drop into the water, you know!” Sora’s tirade was cut short when the red haired princess presented his Keyblade to him. “Oh. Thanks.” He took it back and dismissed it.

“Now, I wonder if I should get one of those.” She joked.

“You really don’t want one.” Sora said seriously, surprising them.

The party got moving again. Maou told them that the treasure room wasn’t far, so they took their time and kept an eye out for any other traps. “Hey, Sora.” Garlett said as they walked. He looked over at her, showing he was listening. “You said that the Keyblade had a bunch of different forms. How does it change forms?”

“Oh! That’s easy. Keychains.” He answered cheerily.

“Keychains?” Christina parroted.

“Yep! You see, when your heart touches something, a piece of you is always tied to it. And that piece can make an object much stronger, strong enough to affect the right kind of materials, even change them.”

“And that’s how it changes form? With gifts from the heart?” Garlett asked.

“Yep, that’s the idea.” Sora said. “Each Keychain can turn the Keyblade into different and more powerful forms. Some are good for magic, some are good for brute force, but the best are good at both.” Sora noticed that the advance group, Maou, Vincent, Noel, and Marple were a fair bit ahead of them and definitely out of earshot. “Hey, mind if I ask you guys a question now?”

The princesses looked to Sora as he stopped walking. “How come… If you guys hate it here on Shina Dark so much, why not leave? You’re both princesses. Christina, Darcy is worried about you, and I’m sure your siblings are too, Garlett. So, why stay? It can’t be because you’re afraid they won’t let you come back.”

“I’ve been meaning to ask the same thing, actually, Christina.” The blonde looked from Sora to the red head. “Why are you pushing yourself so hard? You’re the princess of Estogloria. You’re not a common girl from some small town. You can go home if you want.”

Christina’s expression turned uncharacteristically harsh. “It’s the same for you, isn’t it Garlett?”

She was quiet for a moment. “I have a mission to accomplish even if Maou-sama won’t accept me as his mistress. By acting as his mistress, I can ensure Vansable’s peace. For my people, for my father, I will never return if my absence means their peace!”

Christina just wordlessly stared into nothing for a moment. “… I don’t have anywhere… I can return to.” She smiled sadly, tears glistening in her eyes. “Between staying here on Shina Dark, or returning to a home that won’t welcome me back, which would be the better choice?”

“That’s not true.” The two of them looked back at Sora. “Look, I don’t get the whole ‘royalty’ thing. The princesses I met are… different from you two. Not in a good or bad way, just different, but what I do know is if your family, even just one member of it, cares about you, they should just be happy you’re home.”

Garlett shook her head. “You don’t understand what it is to be a leader, a beacon to so many people Sora.”

“Darcy can’t do anything to help me. Not while the queen sits on the throne.” was Christina’s response. It had much more venom in it than he’d expected from her.

He hung his head a bit. He didn’t understand what they were going through, he probably never would. But, he did want to help. “Okay. You have your reasons. Now, it’s my turn to help make those burdens easier to carry.” They both looked at him oddly. “I’m gonna help you two find something to dedicate yourselves to, a purpose, something you can put your hearts into. Something you’ll love! So, starting today, I’m going to be getting to know you two better so I can figure that something out.” He said in a determined tone.

Both of the princesses just stared at him before they sputtered into laughter. “Sora, you’re really too much! If you keep making us laugh like this, I don’t think we’ll ever get anything done.” Garlett said between bouts of laughter.

“I’m serious.” That made them stop. “I already told you. You’re my friends, at least that’s how I see you. I want to see you both smile and be happy, even if your situation isn’t the best.” He put his hands up and stuck out his pinkies.

“I pinky swear to you both that I will find you something you’ll love, something you can give your hearts to.”

They just stared at him before looking at each other, then back to him. Their faces went from confusion, to disbelief, then realization. He was serious. Garlett had to bite her lip to hold back the tears welling up. She hadn’t had anybody make a declaration like that to her in… ever. Christina was in the same boat. She’d been denied so much happiness by Catherine and now, here was a boy, some strange boy she didn’t know, vowing he’d make them both happy.

She smiled brightly and wrapped her pinky around his while Garlett did the same. “Okay, Sora-sama. I’ll hold you to that promise.”

“Same here.” Garlett wrapped her finger around Sora’s the same as Christina, smiling just as broadly. “And in return, I intend to learn about you. There’s no reason for me to be selfish and only want to be happy alone.” Christina nodded, showing she agreed.

Sora blushed a bit and rubbed the back of his head with an awkward smile on his face. “Oh, uh, well, you don’t need to worry about me, ya know? I’m fine how I am.”

“Jeez, can you just let someone do something for you? Being so selfless all the time is gonna end with you being a bachelor your whole life, you know?” Garlett said in slight irritation.

Christina giggled as Sora stamped his foot. “Hey! I don’t even know what a bachelor is, so you can’t use it as an insult!” He stuck his tongue out at her and blew a raspberry while he was at it.

“Oh, by the gods, how do you function!?” Garlett had seen this boy defeat a monster barehanded (kind of), and then seen him make a powerful declaration that brought her almost to tears. Now he was being ‘him’ again.

“Now, now you two, let’s just meet up with everyone else, shall we?” Christina said and the two just huffed and looked away from each other, crossing their arms. Garlett marched off towards Maou’s group, leaving Sora and Christina alone. The blonde girl hugged the young man out of nowhere, making his face flush brightly.

“U-uh, Christina?” She had her face buried in his chest, holding him as tightly as she could. He smiled softly and put a hand on her head, gently petting her back and wrapping his other arm around her.

“Thank you. For telling me Darcy is worried. I didn’t know you knew him.”

“Yeah. I taught him a bit on how to use the sword. He’s a good guy. Much nicer than Crispin. Little jerk.” She giggled a bit at that. “Oh! I have something for you!” She stepped back as Sora produced the letter Darcy had given him for her. “You can read it once we get out of here. Let’s catch up with everyone, okay?” He smiled and took her hand, not noticing the bright blush on her face as he slowly lead her down the hall to the rest of the group. For a moment, when the light caught his face, she saw a fairy tale come to life.

Once they met up with everyone, Garlett gave them her usual comments, making Sora stick his tongue out at her again. Noel said she’d open the door and walked over to a panel beside it. “… Huh? Oh come on, you piece of junk! The controls aren’t responding!”

“Step aside, Noel. Let the Keyblade Master handle this one.” Sora said confidently. The maid just looked at him oddly as he conjured the Keyblade, spinning it in his hand before stomping down, aiming the glowing end of the blade at the center of the door. A keyhole appeared and a beam shot from the key into the door. The sound of tumblers moving filled the hall before the door started to slide open. “A perk to having a Keyblade? You don’t need to worry about having the right key.”

“Did you need to be such a show off about it?” Garlett asked.

Sora just smiled and put his arms behind his head. “Aw, come on, everyone needs a bit of a show every now and again, tomato head.” That got a snicker from the rest of the group while Garlett just glared. They looked to now open door and their jaws dropped. “Holy shit!” Sora swore. That is enough of a way to convey the vastness of the treasure room and the treasure held within. The three teens ran into the treasure room. “I’ve never seen so much treasure before. And I spent time in a place literally called the Cave of Wonders.”

They walked a bit further before a giant claw slammed into a mountain of coins. They froze and looked up slowly at the biggest dragon Sora had even seen. As long as you don’t count the building Xenmas turned into a dragon, of course.

It’s massive yellow eyes zeroed in on Sora and the girls and the Key bearers first instinct was to herd them behind himself. “Run to the exit, now!” The dragon roared as the girls ran and Sora took his stance, ready for anything.

“D-d-dragon! HUGE DRAGON! SORA, FIGHT! AAAAAAHHH!” Garlett was officially freaking out while Christina was trying to not have a heart attack.

“Oh, if it’s just that, then we’re fine. That’s Zoltia. It’s kinda the guardian of the treasure.” Maou said.

“It’s been chasing off thieves for a very long time.” Vincent said as Maou walked over to the dragon and Key bearer.

He noticed that they were locked in a stare down, so he decided to break it. “Zoltia, hello! Have you been we-” He was cut off by a massive plume of concentrated flame. Maou was quiet for a moment before shouting, “YOU IDIOT! HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN YOUR CONTRACTORS FACE!?”

“ ** **YOU’RE THE IDIOT HERE! IDIOT, IDIOT, IDIOT!**** ” Zoltia roared, peppering him with more blasts.

“You know, the one that says idiot is the real-” he started dazedly.

Zoltia started carpet bombing the ground around the demon king, making him run and scream profanities. “ ** **YOUR CONTACT EXPIRED 3 DAYS AGO! STUPID!**** ” Sora just watched in shock before Zoltia stopped and landed in front of him, making the whole floor shake. “ ** **But, I could be persuaded to let you take what you want.**** ”

The girls didn’t like the sound of that. The dragon turned to face Sora. “ ** **You, spiky haired child.**** ”

“I’m 17!”

“ ** **So young and yet endowed with a power like the Keyblade. Tell me your name and level of mastery, boy!**** ” Zoltia roared as Sora dropped back into his stance.

“Sora of Destiny Islands! And I am a Keyblade Master!”

“ ** **WONDERFUL! I’VE NOT HAD THE CHANCE TO FACE A TRUE MASTER OF THE KEYBLADE IN DECADES! HERE IS MY OFFER, EXODA CERO CLAW! TAKE WHAT TREASURE YOU WISH AND I WILL TAKE THIS SORA TO ENTERTAIN ME!**** ”

“Deal!” Sora shouted, making Maou gurgle a bit and everyone else to just stare with their jaws dropped. “But, we wait until everyone is out of the treasure room! I don’t want my friends caught in the crossfire!”

“ ** **Very well! The rest of you! Gather your bounty and begone!**** ”

Sora started to do some breathing exercises to ready himself when he felt something tug on his pant leg. He looked down at Marple looking up at him with scared eyes. “Sora-nii…”

He smiled and pat her head. “I’ll be okay. I’m strong. You need to head back to Maou, help him get all the treasure out, okay? I promise. I’ll win.” She clung to him before nodding and running back to the Demon King. Sora walked over to the group and smiled broadly. “Don’t worry so much. You’ll get wrinkles.”

“Sora-sama…”

“Stop with the ‘sama’ thing, Christina. I’m your friend, not your better.” She still looked worried. He hummed a bit and took off his necklace and then pulled off his Wayfinder. “Hold onto these for me. A little insurance, to make sure I come back.” He placed his Wayfinder into Christina’s hands and the necklace into Garlett’s. “That necklace belonged to my dad. He died when I was six, so keep a good hold on it.”

She just stared at him, shaking her head. “You can’t be serious. Fighting that treasure eater was one thing, but that’s a dragon! An old, very powerful dragon!”

The boy smiled and put his Keyblade over his shoulders. “Wouldn’t be the first one I fought.” He noticed something off about the wall behind the door, giving a sharp whistle. “Hey! You, hiding back there! I see you!” The paper twitched before the girl behind it slowly lowered the disguise. “You should leave with them. Things are gonna get dangerous.” She nodded and followed the rest of the group out the door. Sora followed them to the doorway, already readying a barrier spell to block off the doorway.

Christina and Garlett ran into the room before Sora finished the spell, grabbing him and kissing his cheeks quickly. “Thank you… for-for saving me.”

“Y-yeah, same here. Thanks.” They backed out of the room and back to the smiling party.

Sora, for his part, just stood there. His thoughts had slammed to a screeching halt when two of the prettiest girls he’d ever met kissed his cheeks. “ ** **Ah, to be young and in love.**** ” Zoltia said behind Sora, making his face bright red as he and the princesses stammered out arguments. “ ** **I care not for your relations, Keyblade Master. I care only that you can entertain me.”****

Sora flicked his wrist, a line of light cutting the doorway off from the rest of the part, a hexagonal pattern barrier forming all the way up. “Oh, don’t worry. I’ll be more than enough for you.” He took his stance as Zoltia roared loudly. _Boss fight time! Let’s see if I still got it!_

“ ** **Light!**** ”


	3. Sora vs. Zoltia

Christina and Garlett ran into the room before Sora finished the spell, grabbing him and kissing his cheeks quickly. “Thank you… for-for saving me.”

“Y-yeah, same here. Thanks.” They backed out of the room and back to the smiling party.

Sora, for his part, just stood there. His thoughts had slammed to a screeching halt when two of the prettiest girls he’d ever met kissed his cheeks. “ ** **Ah, to be young and in love.**** ” Zoltia said behind Sora, making his face bright red as he and the princesses stammered out arguments. “ ** **I care not for your relations, Keyblade Master. I care only that you can entertain me.”****

Sora flicked his wrist, a line of light cutting the doorway off from the rest of the part, a hexagonal pattern barrier forming all the way up. “Oh, don’t worry. I’ll be more than enough for you.” He took his stance as Zoltia roared loudly. _Boss fight time! Let’s see if I still got it!_

“ ** **Light!**** ”

Sora’s Keyblade spun in his hand and he gave a quick cry of exertion, a burst of magical energy being emitted from his body. His jacket and shorts changed color to primarily black with splashes of red and gold. The dragon roared and launched a plume of its concentrated flame at Sora. Sora rolled to the side out of immediate danger. He immediately activated Shotlock and Airstepped to the dragon’s head, backflipping and slamming the Kingdom Key down on its head.

The force was great enough it sent Zoltia’s head straight to the floor. He followed up by dive bombing the dragon’s snout, making it rise back up and roar in pain. Zoltia barely had time think of a counterattack as Sora started to aerial Sonic Blade its abdomen and head, throwing it back a bit.

“ ** **YES! THAT’S IT! THE POWER I WANTED TO SEE! COME, KEYBLADE MASTER!!!**** ” Zoltia roared as it started slashing at Sora almost faster than the eye could track with its front claws. He was using Flash Step and Aerial Dodge to stay just out of reach, but it wasn’t easy. He had to find a way to break the pattern. Wait… He could just block. He is so dumb sometimes. He had to time it right…

 _Now!_ He lifted the Keyblade and blocked one of the claw strikes, air sliding around the dragon’s head before giving it a hefty whack with the Kingdom Key. Its head was slapped to the side like it had been hit full force by a monster’s fist. He landed as Zoltia’s body hit the floor, shaking the whole labyrinth, rushing in and jumping into the air for his Blitz finisher.

The dragon’s eyes popped open and it backhanded Sora away. The teen spat up a mouthful of bile and a bit of blood. That hurt, badly. Probably due to his weakened state. He recovered just in time to block a tail swipe that sent Sora flying back into the far off wall. He hit with enough force to crater it, but was still just glaring at the dragon, extending his shield to a full sized barrier as it proceeded to bathe him in it’s flame breath.

Garlett and Christina were absolutely speechless. This wasn’t actually happening, was it? There was no way a boy their age, magic door-unlocking sword or not, was facing a literal dragon god. Just to be sure, they pinched each other. It hurt. They weren’t dreaming.

“Seems Zoltia is getting serious, Maou-sama. Should we step in?” Vincent asked.

Maou shook his head. “You heard what Sora said. He put an end to Xehanorts’ ambitions. With help or not, that makes him by far one of the most powerful Keyblade Wielders in history.”

“Even so, can he handle Zoltia if it get’s truly serious?” Noel wondered aloud.

“Wait, serious?!” Garlett asked in shock. “You mean it hasn’t been seriously fighting up until now?”

“Neither of them have, I don’t believe. Their testing each other, seeing where their skill and power lies in comparison to each other. If they do get serious, we’ll have no choice but to get involved. I’m pretty sure the two of them would level the entire mountain the castle is on.” Maou said as he watched Sora get back into the fight.

He shot straight up using Flowmotion, dropping the shield to activate Shotlock. He charged the target to max and fired. “ ** **Ragnarok!**** ” Twenty-four orange projectiles fired from the end of his weapon, all slamming into Zoltia hard enough to shake the room and the hall. The first blast lifted the dragon god off its feet and the rest sent it flying to the other side of the room, slamming and plowing it into the stone.

Sora landed and got ready for the next part of the fight, but he stopped when he heard Zoltia laughing. “ ** **GOOD! MORE! GIVE ME MORE!**** ” The dragon got back to its feet and launched into the air before it started to bomb run the room in an attempt to incinerate the now gliding Sora. He was just happy he was fast. He turned in midair, sliding on his back when Zoltia finally stopped and fired a beam from his weapon. It struck Zoltia in the stomach like a meteor, throwing the dragon higher into the air. Sora capitalized, air-stepping above Zoltia before slamming it back to the ground with a somersault slash.

It hit the ground hard enough that the floor shattered all the way out the door. Sora roared as he flew down, hitting Zoltia one last time and deepening the crater he’d put it in. He flipped out of the crater and landed a bit away from it. He put the Keyblade over his shoulder and wiped his forehead with his other arm. He was sweating pretty hard. He turned and smiled at the watching crowd, just about ready to drop the barrier, but then he felt the ground shake.

He turned back to the crater, his eyes widening. Zoltia was… shrinking?

Maou growled. “That’s not good. Sora, lower the barrier, now!”

“Maou-sama, is Zoltia-” Vincent was cut off by a powerful rush of mana-infused wind. “He is! This won’t end well!”

“Wait, he? What’s happening?!” Christina as she fought to keep her skirt down.

“Zoltia is the god of dragons, he’s the first! Not only that, he’s the Goddess Sark’s elder brother! We refer to him as ‘it’ in his dragon form!” Maou explained as he kept a tight hold on Marple and Noel who were being thrashed around by the wind. “In this state, me and him are equals! If Sora fights him as he is right now, he’ll kill him!” _How did I not notice? He has the presence of a Master, but his power is barely beyond that of a successor. Zoltia is going to rip him apart._

A male voice filled the air with a bloodthirsty laugh. Sora watched a body launch from the ground in the crater and then vanish. He felt someone behind him and turned to see a teenage boy, about his age with short black hair that stuck up almost like horns and bright yellow eyes, while having dragon scales and claws instead of regular arms and legs as well as massive wings, smiling at him like a crazed, bloodthirsty maniac. “Oh, how long it’s been since I have shed that form! It feels so good to have a human body once more! It feels ****WONDERFUL!**** ” An explosion of power rippled off him, pushing Sora back.

 _He gives off a shockwave just by screaming?! I think I’m in real trouble here!_ He didn’t have time to think about it as Zoltia closed the distance almost instantly, slapping Sora into the floor with every bit as much force as he had when he dive bombed him in dragon form. The god grabbed Sora’s hair and pulled him back to his feet before raining a storm of super fast punches on the boy, laughing as he did.

“Come, Keyblade Master! Show me your power! You shouldn’t be beaten by taps like this!” He uppercut the boy into the air before burying his fist into Sora’s gut. Sora belched up a mouthful of blood as he was sent flying back. He slammed into the wall with so much force that the crater formed was larger than the cloud made by the impact.

Zoltia floated into the air, ready for another when he felt a shift in the air. _What?_ The cloud was ripped away as a bloodied Sora slashed at the air. “ ** **Nightmare’s End!**** ” He swung his Keyblade again, this time, releasing a blast of light. Zoltia’s eyes widened and he crossed his arms to defend himself.

The group at the door screamed as the blast started to shatter and cave in parts of the hall outside the treasure room. Maou and Vincent covered them in their capes as the labyrinth was flooded with light. Once it died down, they turned back to see a panting Sora and Zoltia floating back to the ground.

Zoltia just glared at the boy for a moment as Maou noticed that the dragon god’s arms were severely burnt. That’s when Zoltia began laughing. “That’s more like it! That’s the power of a True Master of the Keyblade!” The god smiled and licked his lips before launching at Sora. Sora met him in the middle, Kingdom Key’s blade slamming into Zoltia’s arm. The two clashed a few times midair before breaking away with Zoltia giving chase and keeping Sora on the defense as they hopped from gold pile to pile, slashing and hacking at each other in midair.

Zoltia cackled like a madman, grabbing a sword from the pile as a few pieces of rubble fell. He and Sora landed on the pieces, slashing at each other and clashing as they fell. The world around them was moving in slow motion. “Yes, keep attacking! You’ll tire before you ever break through my skin, Key bearer!” Once they hopped off the rubble, he tossed the blade aside. Wasn’t his style.

Garlett had used the sword all her life and yet she was unable to follow anything happening beyond the initial attack. Christina and Marple were entirely lost.

“Why is it you fight so hard, Master Sora?!” Zoltia asked before kicking Sora to the ground, the boy screaming as his body carved a small trench into the ground. He bounced on the air before rushing at Sora and being folded over the recovered boys fist, coughing up spittle as he was sent skidding back. By the time he looked up, Sora was already on him, his boot slamming hard into Zoltia’s jaw. As the dragon god’s head spun, Sora smacked him into the air, slashing at the defenseless drake before his final blow sent the man flying back.

“I made a promise! Not just to Marple!” He rushed past Zoltia, slashing at his chest, but still unable to break his skin. “But to Christina and Garlett! I won’t lose to you!” He roared and slashed the dragon god again before his Keyblade shone brightly. His jaw dropped for a moment at the Kingdom Key changed to Oathkeeper. He smiled and spun the blade, magic rippling off him. “ ** **Formchange: Oathkeeper!**** ” His clothes changed color again, this time, almost completely white. His attack patterns changed as well, becoming much more aggressive as he lunged and slashed at the off balanced Zoltia.

Zoltia roared with that bloodthirsty grin, getting over Sora’s weapon and grabbing him by his face before slamming the young man into the floor. He then grabbed Sora’s ankle, laughing as he thrashed the boy around, bouncing him off the floor before slinging him at the wall.

 _I’ve only been here two days and I’m already fighting for my life. Geez, is this just my life now?_ Sora flipped over Zoltia’s head as he tried to plow the kid into the wall. “You missed.” He used this moment to get some distance and charge up his Shotlock. A false Oblivion appeared in his other hand and magic circles appeared and extended over his head and under his feet, catching Zoltia at the edge. “ ** **Stellar Inception!**** ” The circles began to fire massive beams of light, connecting them in columns before they all rushed and slammed into the now screaming Zoltia.

The god was looking rather rough. His scales were cracked and his face was bloodied and bruised, but Sora was in the same boat, beaten, bloody, and panting. “Good, good!” He rushed Sora and struck before the Key bearer could defend sending him flying back into a wall. “That’s good! Draw out the power of your Keyblade! I’d hate to get bored this far in!” He reached out to run Sora through with his hand, being stopped mid attack as the boy grabbed his hand.

“You’re worried about this fight being boring?” Sora asked as the air around them and even around his awestruck friends. “Alright. I’ll spice it up for you then.” He pushed Zoltia back, turned Oathkeeper to a backhanded hold and slashed at Zoltia. The god’s eyes widened as Sora’s Zantetsuken finally cut him open, blood spraying out a bit. But, the look on Sora’s face said it was as easy as breathing. He’d been holding back. “You know what I would find boring? If you weren’t in your transformed state. So do me a favor, Zoltia, and stay exactly the way you are!”

The two’s fight continued on, shaking everything around them. Maou had a feeling it was causing more than a few earthquakes topside. He had to figure out a way to stop this fight, but how was the question.

Garlett and Christina were just watching in a mix of awe and horror. Neither of them knew this boy, but in the short time they’d known him, he’d saved them both and swore he’d help them despite wanting so badly to go home. He was either a good-hearted fool, or a natural hero. “This isn’t going to end well, is it?” Christina asked.

Maou shook his head. “No. I don’t think it will.” Hajime, the girl that was hiding, just watched in silent awe of it all.

The fight was turning from Sora’s favor once more as Zoltia slapped him to the ground, kicking up a massive cloud. Instead of rushing straight down, he rushed to the side and in, but Sora was expecting this regardless. He wasn’t very smart, but when it came to fighting, he was a genius. He sidestepped Zoltia’s attack and slashed open his arm and side as he flew past. The two pivoted and slammed their respective weapons, claws and Keyblade into each other again, making the labyrinth shake again.

Zoltia’s tail, which had gone wholly unnoticed as they fought, whipped out and struck Sora, the boy screaming in agony as the spines tore through his shoulder and a bit of his chest. He felt his left arm go totally numb before he was sent flying back, slamming into his own barrier. He used what little magic he had left to forcibly reconnect the nerves so he could move his arm again. He stood up slowly, stumbling a bit. He hadn’t healed the wound, so he was still bleeding, badly, and he was already getting light headed.

Garlett and Christina could see that if Sora didn’t get help soon, he was gonna lose more than the fight. “I’m holding you to it.” He looked back at the teary-eyed princesses. Even Garlett had tears running down her cheeks. Marple was hiding in Maou’s cloak, unable to watch anymore. “You promised us you’d help us find something we’d love, something we could give our hearts to not more than a few minutes ago.”

“And now, here you are, struggling to stand.” Christina took over. “I was happy… for the first time in so long when you made that promise. So you can’t die here. You can’t! You don’t have to win, but you have to live!”

“ ** **Don’t die! Keep your promise!**** ” They screamed together.

Zoltia roared as he lunged at Sora, being stopped dead as Sora grabbed his arm at the wrist. He smiled that bright smile at the girls, making them both blush before turning to Zoltia. “Sorry, Zoltia, but like I said, “ He turned Oathkeeper backwards.”I won’t lose to you.”He lifted it and brought it down in a vertical Zantetsuken. He wasn’t holding back on the power of that one, cleaving through Zoltia’s skin like cheap armor against a guillotine. The gods blood sprayed high into the air as the force of the attack seemed to slice through everything, leaving a slash mark in the wall and ceiling behind him.

His eyes were wide. He hadn’t been this wounded in decades, centuries even. To think, a human, Key bearer or no, could wound him, a god, like this. _Those two before were powerful. And they were just about his age, but they couldn’t break my skin. And yet, there’s something different about this Sora. I’ll be keeping an eye on him._

Zoltia fell back as his mind began to grow cloudy. He smiled. _Well done, Sora. You won._ His body thudded to the ground. He lost.

Maou was speechless. He’d thought that Sora had been weakened, no, he knew Sora was weaker than he should have been. And yet, he was able to beat a being on his own level with grit, a bit of magic, and skill with the sword he hadn’t seen in a very long time.

The barrier came down and Sora fell onto his back with a wet thud, smiling wearily up at everyone. Maou smiled as the girls fussed over him and Vincent used a spell to heal his wounds.

“Alas, Master Sora, I am not an Arcane level white mage and that is what we would need to fully restore you.”

Sora chuckled a bit as Maou and Garlett helped him to his feet. “It’s okay, Vincent. I heal quick and I have my own magic. Sorry to cause so much trouble.”

“Actually, it was pretty intense to see a fight like that. It’s been a long time.” Maou said, catching the boy as he stumbled. “You sure you can walk?”

“I came in here on my own, that’s how I’ll leave.” Sora looked down at Marple, who was staring up at him teary-eyed. He smiled brightly and pat her head. “I told you I’d win, huh?” She smiled big and hugged him. He’d have carried her, but he was barely able to carry himself. When Christina and Garlett put his arms around their shoulders, he tried to argue, but they didn’t listen. He just smiled and limped alongside them. “Thanks, girls. Hey, can I get my stuff back?”

They giggled at that before standing Sora up. Garlett slipped his necklace over his head, realizing that Sora was actually taller than her. She’d known it, but it never really clicked until now. That and his eyes. They were the prettiest, gentlest blue she’d ever seen. Despite his childish attitude and his obviously god-like power, he was an incredibly kind man.

He smiled at her and she flushed, looking off to the side before Christina hooked the Wayfinder to his belt. He looked back at her and smiled, making her smile in return. She gently took his hand in hers, noticing how gentle his grip was. She wasn’t strong enough to offer him a shoulder, so she settled for holding his hand for now after taking his arm off her shoulders, and yet, it was her that was calmed. He had an aura about him that made her feel safe, even happy.

As they walked, Noel skipped happily, the bag of treasure jangling behind her. “With this amount, we should be set for a while.” Maou said.

“About two years, at least.” Vincent added.

“Let’s go!” Noel shouted triumphantly. “It’s almost lunch time!” As she skipped along-

**_**CONK!** _ **

Sora was trying to not laugh as Noel was floored by a pan dropping on her head. She stood up, holding her head. “Now, I’ve lost my happy mood.” She took another step and the floor opened under like before.

“ ** **Noel!**** ”

“WILLPOWER!” She grabbed the edge of the pit started working on pulling herself up. She smiled as she pulled herself up. “That was dangerous.” As she said that, a treasure eater came out of the hole and snatched the treasure from her back.

* * *

Noel had spent the whole trip back up crying about the treasure. Even moreso when Vincent pointed out that Sora had fought so hard for it. Sora tried to console her, but it did little more than make her cry more.

Vincent sighed and placed a single coin on Maou’s desk. “All that fighting, even facing Zoltia at his strongest, and all we got away with was one coin.” The undead butler bowed to Sora. “Forgive me, Master Sora, you fought so hard for so little.”

Noel sniffled and Sora pat her head. “It’s okay. I’ve fought harder for less.” He couldn’t help but remember his fight with Terra’s Lingering Will. That’s when he noticed something. He walked over to Christina, the blonde giving him an odd look. She then realized that he wasn’t looking at her, but at her-

“Ahhh! S-Sora what are you-?!” He groped her breasts, pulling them apart a bit along with her shirt. “Please, stop, not here! My heart isn’t ready!” She eeped when he slipped his hand between her breasts.

“Aha!” He pulled out a palm full of coins. “They must have gotten trapped in there when you were running.”

“So that means…” All three men turned to the horrified Garlett.

She hopped away. “You stay away! Don’t you dare come anywhere near me!” She turned away from them and opened her shirt, pulling out a handful of coins from between her breasts.

“To have gotten trapped in such a place.” Vincent said.

“What useful breasts.”

“Nice busts.”

“ ** **DON’T SAY IT IN SUCH A WEIRD WAY!**** ”

Christina glared at Sora a bit, but that gentle, oblivious smile of his made it hard to stay angry at him. “Hey.” The boy ducked under Garlett’s arm as she tried to smack him upside the head. “Go apologize, you idiot!”

“Wait, for what?! What did I do!?”

* * *

Sora was lying in bed, staring up at the ceiling. He couldn’t sleep. It was odd, normally the moment his head hit the pillow, he was out, but not today. He couldn’t help but think about his fight with Zoltia. It had been one of the toughest fights he’d ever had. And yet it made him feel so alive. His heart pounding in his ears, the taste of blood in his mouth, the feeling of his weapon shaking on contact. He hated admitting it, but he loved it. He lifted a hand, flexing his fist. He could still feel the weight of Oathkeeper in it. The Keyblade appeared in a flash in his grip. The keychain jangled a bit as it hung down. It looked just like the charm Kairi gave him.

He heard the door to his room slide open and he dismissed the Keyblade. He sat up and looked at the open door, surprised to see Christina standing there. “Hey.”

“Hi…” She had a pillow tucked under her arm and she was wearing a much more conservative night gown.

For Sora, he was in a pair of night shorts and his upper body was bare. He noticed that she was having trouble looking at him directly, but she wasn’t blushing. There was always a weird blush on her cheeks when she looked at him at the end of the labyrinth excursion.

“Couldn’t sleep?” he asked. She shook her head, her blue eyes darting around a bit. He lifted a brow in confusion. “Something wrong?”

“I… I noticed them last night, but I never asked. Your scars…”

Sora looked down at his chest. He was a lean built guy, very well built from the years of sports at school and fighting, but he was dotted with large claw marks and burn scars. He chuckled a bit. “Yeah. I got them when my adventure with the Keyblade first started. Back then all I had done is train and practice with my friends. I wasn’t quite ready for a fight for my life. I didn’t have the right mindset.” He smiled brightly at her, making her flush a bit. “But, it doesn’t get me down. Because they’re all just reminders. I always had to learn big lessons the hard way.”

He offered her his hand. “You wanna sit down and talk?” She nodded a bit, walking over and sitting down on the edge of the bed as Sora turned to sit beside her properly as she took his hand. “So, what’s on your mind?”

Christina chewed on her bottom lip. “Who is Kairi?”

Sora sighed a bit and nodded. “I guess that is the only question you’d want answered. I hate explaining stuff, I always say it wrong.”

“Well, maybe you can say it through action. You did… g-grope me today instead of just telling me to check my shirt.”

“I thought that would just be embarrassing!”

Christina laughed a bit before going into a small coughing fit. Sora gently pat her back until she could breathe again. ‘I’m okay.” She took a breath. “But I’m not wrong.”

“No, you aren’t. I prefer action to talk, but the way I would have to show who she was to me is… embarrassing.”

Christina’s cheeks flushed brightly. If Sora thought it was embarrassing, then it had to be pretty… intimate. She saw him staring down at his feet and gently cupped his cheek, pecking his lips. They both froze for a second before Christina looked away. “M-maybe something like that?”

“Mmm, close. What I wanted to do was more like…” He turned her head back to face him, kissing her more fully, making her eep. She felt him push against her lips and she gasped before giving an involuntary moan. She’d never kissed before, and this was a very deep kiss. The princess’s eyes fluttered shut as they continued. He was slow, giving her time to learn. He pulled away slowly, making her groan a bit. She didn’t want him to stop yet. She noticed that Sora’s cheeks were flushed brightly. “Like that. More like that.”

“Wanted?” She asked. “With… all of that skill, you only wanted to?” God, just putting that sentence together made her weak heart stutter.

He chuckled. “I never told her how I felt. And then I lost the chance to ever say anything trying to save her.”

Christina was quiet for a bit. “If it wasn’t with her, then how did you learn to kiss like that, if you don’t mind me asking?”

He chuckled. ‘Uh, well, I may have practiced with my friend Selphie a bit.”

“I think that’s more than a bit.” They both laughed a bit at that. “You really don’t have much shame, huh?”

“Did I do something to be ashamed of?” She laughed again at the confused look on his face.

“You know, that was my first kiss. I didn’t really have the chance to meet anyone back home.” Her gaze lowered.

Sora tilted his head again. “I thought a princess met a lot of suitors.”

“The queen would never let me meet a possible suitor. She hates me.”

That surprised him. “I knew you had issues with Catherine, but I didn’t realize that. Isn’t she your mother?”

Christina scoffed. “Absolutely not. I’m… I’m the child of one of the late kings mistresses.” She looked up to see that blank look on Sora’s face. “Two days with you and I already know that means you don’t know what I said.” He nodded. She was right and now she had to explain. She flushed lightly. “Uh, r-remember Vincent-san’s lesson today.” Sora’s bright cheeks said yes. “W-well, you don’t have to be married to do that or to have a baby. S-sometimes, nobleman will take a woman, not their wives, and start a relationship with them.”

Sora just stared at her, blinking owlishly. “You mean, your dad… had a baby with a woman that wasn’t his wife, Catherine?” She nodded. “And that baby was you?” She nodded again, looking away, like… She was ashamed. Sora turned back around. “Wow. I thought my life was messed up…No, mines… still worse.”

She looked back at him. “How do you figure that?”

“You ever had to fight your best friend to the death for your other best friend before turning yourself into a literal monster for them both?” Christina’s shock was… palpable. He laughed a bit. “Yeah, that was a rough few hours. That was actually how I got most of my scars.”

Christina stared at her hands. “Catherine had me poisoned.” Sora’s shock was just as palpable. “Not all at once. A little bit here and there. After she had my mother killed. Everyone knows, but no one ever said anything.”

“Why? What about Darcy?”

“He’s the only one Catherine didn’t want to know. She knew that if he knew, he’d do everything he could to help me. She just… She wants me to suffer. Her marriage was a political marriage. My father loved my mother like he’d never loved Catherine. When he died, my mother and I were banished to the outskirts of the kingdom where she could say that we died to the wild beasts that live there. She had an assassin find us and they killed my mother, but she’d known this would happen.

She had me hide and wait. I hid for two days before we were found. Ten years Catherine had been adding a little bit of poison to nearly everything I ate until Shina Dark reappeared. Then she sent me here as a sacrificial lamb.”

“... She didn’t want you to be happy.”

Christina nodded as she smiled. “That’s why when you said you’d find something I could give myself to… it made me very happy. Which is why I was okay with how you kissed me. Just don’t do it again. Not unless it’s for real next time.” They both laughed at that. “I will live. I will find happiness as my revenge for what she did to me, to my mother.”

“That’s not right.” She looked at him oddly. “If you want happiness, it shouldn’t be for something like revenge. It should be because you wanna leave the past behind. Because you’re ready to move on.”

“How do I move on from something like that? I will carry the poison she forced me to take for the rest of my life, which won’t be much longer.”

“Don’t say that.” Sora said. Christina just sighed lightly. “Hey, look at me.” She turned to him, tears brimming in her eyes. He gently wrapped an arm around her, pulling her into his chest. She started to sniffle and cry. “It’s okay, you’re safe. I promise, I will find you a way to live a long, happy life.”

She laughed around the sobs. “You can’t fix what’s been done, Sora.”

“Sure I can. I went back in time to save Kairi. I’d do no less to save you.” She looked up at him. “My friends are precious to me. I’ll do anything to keep them safe.” She smiled lightly and nuzzled back into his chest.

“And you kiss them too?”

He coughed and looked elsewhere. “N-not normally, no.” She giggled before eeping as Sora laid back with her on his chest. “Well, you came in here with a pillow. I figured you wanted to sleep in here.”

“W-well, you aren’t wrong.” She didn’t mention that being around him made her feel safe. Even if he was some crazy powerful, mysterious warrior possibly from another world. “Sora.”

He hummed a bit.

“Did you love Kairi?”

“... Yeah. I still do. She was my best friend for… a really long time. My whole journey started the day I lost her. And as much as I wanna go home to her, to Riku, my mother, it’s looking more and more like I can’t. And, I’m okay with that. Kairi is… wonderful. She’ll find that thing that makes her happy and Riku, well, he’s Riku. He’s good at everything.” She giggled a bit.

“Do you think you could ever find someone like that again?”

“Why do you ask?”

“Friendship goes both ways. That’s what I’m told at least.”

“You want me to find someone to love again so I’ll be happy?” She nodded. “It’s… It’s not that easy, you know?”

“Do you?”

“... Not really.” They laughed again. “Hey, you know, Catherine was really coming onto me at the castle.”

“Why would I want to know that?”

“Because, if you really wanna make her squirm, we could tell her you and I are a thing.”

She sputtered before laughing with him. It felt nice to laugh like this.”That’s horrible.”

“I can be horrible at times.”

She laughed a bit longer. “You know, I never thought I’d find a friend on Satan’s Island.”

“You can find a friend anywhere. Even in the worst possible place. You just have to know how to find them. Real friends are drawn to each other.”

She smiled and nuzzled into him. “You’re warm.”

He noticed movement out of the corner of his eye. “I’m told I’m hot blooded.”

“I believe it.” She shifted a bit, resting heavily against him. “Sora, in a lot of the stories my mother used to read to me the princess always had her own knight.”

“He’d care for her, protect her, be her friend, whatever she needed. My dad told me the same stories before he died.”He smiled down at her. “If you want me to be your knight, I can do that. I mean, I’m already a hero, so...” She laughed a bit as they got comfortable. “You’re okay? With being in bed with a shirtless guy you only met two days ago?”

“Now that you mention it…” She looked up at expectantly.

He grimaced and slowly got up, grabbing his black shirt and pulling it on. “Better?” He laid back down and she laid beside him, though not on his chest this time.

“You’ll really be my knight?” She asked. He smiled and nodded.

“But you know, most of those stories end with the princess and the knight getting married. Should we start shopping for rings?” Her brightly blushing cheeks made Sora laugh before they finally calmed down and Christina fell asleep. Sora smiled and covered her up before sliding out of bed. He walked almost silently to his door and opened it, making Garlett jump and her eyes widen. He smiled lightly. “Are you gonna stand there all night or are you gonna come and lie down?”

She just stared before looking away with a huff. “I wouldn’t want to interrupt Christina and her knight.”

That confused him. Here was Garlett, probably the most hot headed girl he’d ever met, standing in front of him in a night shirt with a pillow to her chest, and she was just being… “Garlett, what’s wrong?”

She chewed on her bottom lip. “I-I just wanted to ask you where you learned to fight like that.”

He smiled and put his arms behind his head. “Here and there. You learn a lot, fighting for your life.” He stepped aside to let her in. She stood there, staring at him.

“Did you kiss her?” Sora blushed brightly. “I didn’t hear everything, but I did hear some.”

He cleared his throat. “She, uh, she asked who Kairi was, who she was to me, what I wanted her to be. I’m bad at explaining things, so she suggested I speak through my actions.”

“Would you tell me?” Sora looked up, his eyes wide. Garlett stepped closer to him. “I want to know. About you. Why you’re so powerful, why promises, even ones you make to total strangers, matter so much. Why you have nightmares. You said you wanted to get to know us and I told you I was going to get know you. So I want to know.”

Sora looked to the floor and then down the hall. “Promise you won’t be mad?” She blushed brightly and nodded. He gently took her hand in his, pulling her closer to him. He tilted her head up and she gasped as he moved in, catching her lips with his.

Sora was learning that each girl had a distinct taste. Selphie was very sweet, almost like candy, Christina was a softer, less sugary sweet, like a fruit. Garlett was almost spicy, but not overly so. It was gentle taste that held a fire deep in, warm and resilient. Unlike Christina, Garlett wasn’t afraid to push back, even if she didn’t know what she was doing. She was sloppy, but like the other princess, she learned quickly. Her arm went slack, dropping her pillow, and her chest pressed against his while the other wrapped gently around his shoulders.

They finally pulled away, panting lightly. “Wow. Kairi was a very lucky girl and she didn’t even know it.” She thunked her head against his chest and he hugged her. “… For so long, I just wanted my father to praise me. To tell me he was proud. Just once. How sad is that? In some twisted way, I hoped that by coming here, I’d finally make him proud.”

“It isn’t sad. Every child wants that. When my dad died, I acted out. A lot. It got me beat up and in trouble. There’s nothing wrong with wanting your father’s approval or lashing out when you can’t get it.”

“Lashing out?”

“Ya know, doing things they wouldn’t approve of. Like me. My mom hated fighting, so I fought. Every chance I had, I started a fight. Until it was time for me to decide my fate.” Garlett tilted her head. “On my island, there’s an old immortal swordsman that lives deep in the jungle with his wife. It’s an old tradition to go to him when someone turns ten if they decide to not go into a trade. If you decide on a trade, you stay in the village and go to school, but if you don’t, you’re sent into the jungle to find the master to train as a guardian of the island. My dad went, my grandpa went, so I went. Another moment of me lashing out.”

“They just let you go into a jungle alone?”

“Well, no, my friend, Riku, was with me. We trained together. We never finished our training though.”

“Why not?”

“Around my fourteenth birthday, I got really sick. Master Abel had to send me home and Riku followed. We promised him we’d come back one day and finish our training, but it looks like that’s a promise I won’t be able to keep.”

Garlett forgot she was a knight, forgot she was a princess for just a moment, enjoying the warmth of this young man’s body. He felt nice to be against. “What if I decided to lash out? Do something my father wouldn’t agree with? Would you support me?”

“Depends on what it is your planning on.”

“Entering a relationship with a spiky haired doofus I met the other day.” Sora’s cheeks were so red they nearly matched the princess’s hair. She started laughing loudly at him, making him glare daggers at her.

He looked away with a huff. “Yeah, yeah, pick on the birthday boy, make your jokes.” She turned his head back to her and pecked his lips.

“Who said it was a joke? A princess in pain may find her bed very cold one night, dear knight.” Sora gulped as a yawning Garlett walked by him into his room. “Come on to bed, I’m sleepy now.”

He walked in behind her, standing there for a moment before she gasped loudly, his arms encircling her gently. “I don’t know if you were joking. I don’t know if you like me that way or not, but I do know you’re my friend. And I can tell you’re in pain. A good knight isn’t just a protector or a bed-warmer, whatever that is. He’s a good friend, one that listens. I’m not the only one that has nightmares. You both have them and I wanna help. I know you won’t let me in immediately, but I do want you to let me in, okay?”

Garlett stood there in Sora’s arms for several seconds before saying anything. “We’re all just broken, abandoned, and lost huh? Christina, me, even you.”

“Just gives us more reason to stick together.”

“Why do you care so much?”

Sora’s arm tightened a bit around her. “Maybe because I don’t want anyone hurting like I do. I smile and I laugh, but I hurt. So much. I miss my home, my mom, Riku, Kairi. And the thought of someone else hurting like that is so hard to bear.”

Garlett’s hand tightened on his as she started to cry, turning and burying her face in his chest. “If you’ll put your faith in me, and you’ll work with me, I will give you both a life where you can be happy. I will always be there, to help you, to fight with you, to be your friend. I won’t let you be lonely.”

“Shut up!” Garlett sobbed hard into his shirt. “Just… stop talking… No more, I don’t wanna hear anymore. Please…” She grabbed him and kissed him again, his arms holding her tight. When she pulled away, she kept crying into his chest. She was happy, angry, sad, so many things all at once, it was overwhelming. “You’re childish, annoying, thick-headed, and I’ve only known you two days. I can’t imagine what it was like for Riku and Kairi.” Sora chuckled a bit. “Can we just go to sleep? I’m so tired.”

She eeped adorably when Sora lifted her bridal style again before turning and sitting on the bed before lying back. It took a moment before Garlett was comfortable. Sora gently pet her head until she fell to sleep, smiling softly at him. He used the blanket to dab away her tears before turning over and pulling Christina closer to him. “Sorry to wake you.”

“It’s okay.” He turned back onto his back, making the blonde turn to look at him before he pulled her and the Garlett onto his chest, letting them rest there. “S-Sora?”

“Get some sleep. I’ll see you in the morning.” She smiled sleepily before leaning up and pecking his lips.

“One more time. For being so sweet. Good night. And happy birthday.”

“Good night.” And they slept like that, the princess hated by the queen and the princess abandoned by her father, in the arms of a boy who cast himself into the river of fate to protect the one he loves.

What none of them knew was that someone else had been listening. Exoda sighed heavily and thumped his head against the wall. Humans feared what they don’t understand, even hate it. Sora would be no different if others knew of his power. They would revere him, for a time, but then that reverence would turn to fear, then hatred. He’d seen it happen firsthand. In that way, he and Sora weren’t that different from each other.

“Maou-sama.” He looked to his side to see Vincent standing there. “Have you made your decision?”

“I have. Make preparations, Vincent.”

“It will take some time.”

“Take as long as you need, old friend, just don’t let them find out. What I intend to do, I hope, will give all three of them purpose, something to believe in. They’ve all been hurt. And now they need each other.”

Sora and the two princesses slept while the Demon King watched over them. He understood a bit of their pain, but the only people who truly understood were each other. He knew that the friendship they had would last from now until their ends. And he intended to help them along.


	4. Chapter 4

_Sora groaned gently as he felt lips against his. He kissed back, gently sucking on the girls lips as they kissed. He’d had dreams like this before. He opened his eyes slowly, expecting to see his dark haired friend, but instead of her bright blue eyes, he met a pair of emeralds. His partner pulled away to reveal it was…_

_“Garlett?”_

_“Good morning, Darling. Did you sleep well?” she asked before Sora had his lips caught in another kiss. It was gentler than Garlett’s, but just as intimate. She knew every point in his mouth to hit make him shake._

_She pulled away, revealing it was Christina. “Don’t hog him, Garlett.”_

_She scoffed playfully. “I’m not! I just wanted to know how he slept.”_

_“Okay, what’s going on?”_

_“Breakfast in bed!” Sora sat up to see a child beside the bed. What shocked him was that their face was… blurred. He couldn’t tell what they looked like, minus a head of dark red hair, though not as dark as Kairi’s. But they were holding a tray of food over their head._

_“That was very sweet of you to bring your father food in bed, sweetie.” Garlett said, smooching the child’s cheek._

_“Ehe! Thank you, Mother!” Sora was officially freaking out. He’d had less than innocent (by his standards) dreams before, but never ones that involved him having a kid._

_He felt the bed shift beside him and he turned to see another child with dirty blonde hair beside him. “Morning, Papa!” The child giggled happily as Christina hugged them. “Morning to you too, Mama!”_

_Sora just stared at the four for a moment. These were both his children, each with a different woman. Everything told him they should be furious, but… they were happy. He felt something warm on his cheeks. “Daddy?” He looked to the first child. He couldn’t see their face, but he could tell they were concerned. “Why are you crying?”_

_He wiped his cheeks. “I-it’s nothing, kiddo. Daddy’s just really happy, is all.”_

**_**“I may vomit.”** _ ** _The scene immediately shifted to a dark expanse._

_Sora was hyperventilating now. He felt ground under his feet. He looked down. He was in the Station of Awakening. He looked around a bit, waiting for the owner of that voice, a voice very similar to his, to step forward. What he saw wasn’t that. He saw three pedestals, each with a different item on them, a sword, a staff, and a shield._

_“This again, huh?” He stepped forward, about to reach for the sword. It was his usual choice, but he stopped. He wasn’t fighting a war like he had been. Now, he needed to be there, to protect, rather than destroy. He took the shield and chose to discard the staff. When his choice was made, he saw a path open before him to another platform. The shield vanished and his Keyblade, Oathkeeper took its place. He slowly walked up the path to the second platform, looking around._

**_**“Getting a bit promiscuous, aren’t we, brother?”** _ ** _Sora turned quickly, dropping into his stance before his eyes widened._

_“That’s… That’s not possible. I saw you die.”_

**_**“Not everything we see is true, brother. And not everything we miss is a lie.”** _ ** _Vanitas said. His Keyblade was stuck in the ground like a cane._

_“Why are you here?”_

**_**“What, not happy to see your big brother?”** _ **

_“Stop calling me that! I am not your brother!”_

**_**“Oh? Are you sure about that? You realize you’re the reason I look like you, don’t you?”** _ ** _Sora was quiet._ **_**“You see, Sora, when Xehanort pulled me out of dear Ventus’ heart, I had no face. I looked no different than a Shadow. It wasn’t until Xehanort took Ventus to die on Destiny Islands, his homeworld, that I finally gained a face of my own. Ventus’ broken, destroyed heart came in contact with the heart of a newborn child. The day was the eighth of May, seventeen years ago.”** _ **

_“Me? I… I healed Ven’s heart?”_

**_**“Yep. I gained the face of the man you would become. And I must say, I make it look good.”** _ **

_Sora rolled his eyes. “Okay, so why now? Why show up now?”_

_Vanitas’ smirk faded._ **_**“Your heart is in turmoil. You’re trying to move on, accepting that you won’t get to see Kairi anymore. I’m here to tell you to stop whining.”** _ ** _Sora looked surprised._ **_**“First off, you don’t quit. Ever. I wouldn’t be here if you did. And even if you do give up on going home, you’ve seen for yourself that you’ve got two girls that want you. I mean, if I were in your place, there wouldn’t have been much sleeping the night after that little excursion to the labyrinth.”** _ ** _His look of confusion made Vanitas sigh._ **_**“Baby making, moron.”** _ ** _Sora’s reaction was almost immediate._

_“B-but, I’m not married to either of them! I-it wouldn’t be right!”_

**_**“Dude, one of them is an illegitimate princess and the other is more or less ignored by her father. I think you could get away with being wrong with them.”** _ **

_“That’s sick.”_

**_**“But it doesn’t mean I’m wrong.”** _ ** _Sora visibly grimaced at that, making his darker counterpart chuckle._ **_**“I’m not here to tell you to give up, or to tell you not to. The phrase ‘May your heart be your guiding key’ doesn’t just mean letting it guide you to the next spot that needs the intervention of the Keyblade. It also means following your heart and listening to what it tells you. You wanna make those girls happy? Do it. Just be ready for the backlash when it comes. All actions have repercussions.”** _ **

_“Huh?” Vanitas snapped his fingers and Sora fell as the Station shattered. He screamed as he fell into darkness._

_‘Sora…’_

* * *

Sora woke with a start, his eyes darting around the room. He was back in his room in Castle Arcadia. And Maou was sitting next to him. “Good morning. We wondered if you were going to sleep all day.”

“Ugh, my head.” He held his head as it pounded. It always did after he returned from the Station of Awakening.

“Here, drink some water.” Sora took the offered glass and sipped from it. “There’s something I wanted to talk to you about, Sora. Think you can meet me in my study after you’re done with training?”

Sora looked at Exoda oddly, but he nodded. “Sure, I suppose, but I can’t stay long.”

“Oh? Do you have a romantic excursion planned with the princesses?” Sora’s cheeks flushed brightly.

“N- no… but it does involve one of them.” Maou didn’t push him. He’d tell him if he needed help, he was sure.

“Alright. I’ll make the conversation short then. Now get up. Noel has breakfast ready. Oh, and I left you an outfit to try on.”

Sora looked at him oddly before looking to the closet. He hopped up and walked over to check it, pulling out an outfit… eerily similar to Maou’s, but in a sort of ‘Sora’ fashion. “Uh…” It was very much the same in design, but it was a bit lighter in terms of color, but still retained its base darker colors. Sora shrugged and slipped it on. He had to admit, even with the extra layer under the outfit, it was pretty comfy.

“Not bad, now you shouldn’t keep everyone waiting. Noel made some of your favorite today.”

“Whoo! Breakfast!” The demon king chuckled a bit as the boy ran off down the hall. Sora skidded around a corner and jumped into the dining room, flipping and landing butt first into his seat. “Morning, guys!” He smiled broadly at everyone until his gaze fell on Garlett and Christina, his mind immediately picturing them and those kids. They both tilted their heads in confusion when he flushed and looked away. “Uh, m-morning, Garlett, Christina.”

“G’morning, Sora.” Garlett said normally, her cheeks only the gentlest pink as she remembered what happened outside his room a couple of weeks beforehand. Then she noticed his attire. “What are you wearing?”

“Like it? Maou gave it to me.”

“Eh, it’s okay.” Sora stuck his tongue out at her, making her smile as she ate.

“Good morning, Sora-kun. What’s your plan for today?” Christina had become a bit more open with everyone with Sora’s help. He was still the only one that knew she was sick and how bad off she was. The reason for his trip today, actually.

“Oh nothing too special. Vincent’s giving me the day off of studying, so I figured I’d catch up on my training a bit.” Garlett’s head shot up from her food.

“I’ll train with you!” Sora yelped as the red head was suddenly in his face, leaning back into his seat to make some distance. “I-I mean i-if you want.”

He wasn’t sure what to make of that, but he wasn’t going to say no. He smiled and chuckled a bit rubbing the back of his head. “Uh, sure, I don’t mind, but I can’t train for very long. Maou said he had something to talk to me about and then I have to go handle something important.”

“Garlett crossed her arms and donned an inquisitive look. “What’s so important that you need to do?”

“It’s a secret. Something for a friend.” He started to eat his seared sea bass, his favorite breakfast here, humming happily. Once everyone was finished, they all thanked Noel for the meal, the maid just waving them off and saying that it was a maids pride to cook for people. Then, they went their separate ways to their daily activities. For Sora and the girls, they went out to the yard.

“Hey, Christina, didn’t you say you wanted to read a really rare book you found?” Sora asked as they walked. Marple sat on Sora’s shoulders as they went, giggling about being bigger than them.

“Oh, I have it with me and it’s such a nice day, I thought I’d enjoy it outside. I also had a couple questions about your magic.” She said, her and Garlett immediately locked in a stare down.

“And it just so happens that where you want to sit is right next to where we’re going to be training?”

“Yes, is there an issue with that, Garlett?” She asked sweetly.

Garlett smiled beyond her gritted teeth and the tick mark on her head. “Not at all. The more the merrier.”

Sora just watched the two for a moment. This had been going on since that night. He had no idea what they were arguing about or if they ever were arguing. He looked up at Marple. “Stay little forever. Girls my age are scary.”

“Okay, Sora-nii!”

“Hey!” Garlett shouted behind them. “I am not scary!”

“Oop, time to run!” Marple laughed loudly as Sora took of with Garlett hot on his tail. Christina watched them go, taking her time to the yard.

She bit her bottom lip. She could tell Sora had no idea what was going on with them and while it was adorable and endearing, it was also incredibly frustrating. She… wasn’t sure how she felt, but whenever she saw Garlett getting close to him, she felt something in her chest. She figured out it was jealousy. She was jealous. And from how Garlett reacted to her, she was too. She was still awkward around the other princess and that just made things worse. She wanted to be friends with Garlett and they’d both tried before, but their words normally fell to an awkward silence.

She finally got out to the yard to see Sora and Garlett squaring up with each other, wooden blades in their hands and Marple sitting on the steps. She smiled when she saw that Sora seemed to be excited. She loved to watch him from the window when he trained alone.

Garlett never said it, but she watched him as well. His style was brash and straightforward, but his form was flawless and he had skills she’d never seen another swordsman with. She readied herself. “Ready?”

“Bring it.” Sora launched at her fast, spinning in a low 360. She did what came natural and jumped over it, but that was a mistake as he lifted his blade up at the end of the spin in an upward slash. She grunted as she was knocked airborne before she struck again across the chest and sent back to the ground. She landed on her feet rather than her back, barely clashing with Sora as he came to strike at her again.

The princess grunted loudly as she forced Sora back, knocking him off balance and taking her chance to strike his chest with a quick jab. He groaned as he was pushed away, but he got back into the fight quickly.

The sound of wood on wood filled the yard for well over an hour as Christina watched, pretending she was reading. The three of them were so engrossed in what they were doing, they never noticed Marple getting bored and wandering off.

Garlett growled as she swung for Sora’s left side, thinking he was open only to have him spin his weapon around to block her attack. He pushed her boken up and away, spinning quickly and taking out the princess’s legs, causing her to flip onto her side. He hadn’t been paying attention to his strength for the last part of their match and ended up striking much harder than he had meant to.

“Garlett!” He rushed over to the wincing princess who was currently holding her leg. He knelt down beside her, looking almost horrified at what he had done. “I’m so, so sorry! I didn’t mean to-”

“I-it’s okay, I’m alright.” She said, feigning a smile and trying to stand with her sword as a cane. She was okay until she put weight down on her injured leg, yelping and falling over and almost starting to cry just from the pain. He’d hit her so hard that it felt as though he’d broken something.

“No, you aren’t! Christina, get Maou and Vincent!” The blonde princess hopped to her feet and ran off into the castle to find the demon king and his butler as Sora tended to the injured girl. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you, I-I just got carried away.”

She laughed. “Do you and Riku spar like this?” She was trying to think of anything but her leg right now.

He chuckled a bit. “Yeah, we probably did a lot more damage to each other than we like to admit.” He gently lifted her leg, making her hiss and whimper. “I’ve gotta get your stocking down to see how bad it is.” She nodded in understanding and started a deep breathing exercise Gramps had taught her. She still screamed when she felt his hand go over the injury. “Oh no, I think I may have broken your shin.”

“Really? I hadn’t guessed.” She snarled out, immediately regretting it. Sora looked just about in tears. “Hey, hey, it was an accident, I didn’t mean to snap like that.” He pulled her into his lap to at least try and make her comfortable. She was breathing heavily and quickly. “I’m sorry I snapped at you.”

“I’m sorry I hurt you. I’m sure your Gramps would kick in my teeth if he saw that.”

“Maybe.” She said with a laugh as she fought the tears welling up in her eyes. She pulled his arms around her, suddenly feeling a bit chilly. “D-don’t get the wrong idea, I’m just a bit cold.”

“It’s okay. I just broke your leg, I’m pretty sure you can do whatever you want.”

“Whatever I want, huh?” She leaned into him, sighing a bit as she tried to work through the pain, but it hurt. It hurt so badly. In her whole life, she’d never broken a limb. Taken hits sparring, falling off horses, even the occasional fall down a hill, but never broken a limb. “D-didn’t that white mage in your party teach you any healing magic?”

“She didn’t need to, I already know healing magic, but I can’t use it until we set your leg. The magic doesn’t just heal you outright, it speeds up the healing process. If I do it now, your leg will never be right again.”

“So we wait?”

“Yeah… Sorry…” He looked up to see Maou and Vincent running up to them.

“What happened?” Vincent asked as he knelt beside Garlett.

“We-we were sparring and I got carried away. I’m sorry, I-”

“Sora, it’s okay.” Maou said gently. “You didn’t mean to.” The boy still looked like he was blaming himself for it, but Maou couldn’t stop him from blaming himself. The demon king lifted the princess’s leg, making her squirm and squeeze Sora’s hand. Christina watched in shock. If it had been her, she’d be a bawling mess. And Sora probably would be too. “It’s broken, no doubt. We’ll have to set it.”

“I can heal her after you get it set.”

“Good, then we’ll be relying on you Sora-sama.” Vincent said as he lifted the princess’s leg high enough she started to sob. “Garlett-hime, you’ll need to bite down on something.” She picked up a strap of leather from her leg and bit down on it as she squeezed Sora’s hand.

Vincent pulled her leg then pushed it back hard, a wet crunching sound filling the air before Garlett started screaming. Sora lifted his hand and called on his magic. “ ** **Heal!**** ” A green light surrounded them as three bells hovered over them for a few moments before Garlett’s screaming died down to whimpers then finally to nothing but panting.

She sat up and Sora helped her back to her feet, the princess testing how well the spell had worked. “Whoa. It doesn’t hurt at all.” She was actually really surprised. She’d never heard of healing magic so strong it made the injury almost non-existent. She turned and smiled for a moment before she saw the downtrodden look on Sora’s face.

His turned from depressed to surprised, then embarrassed as Garlett kissed his cheek. ‘Thank you for healing me.”

“U-uh, y-you’re welcome.”

“Hey!” They all turned to Noel, who was panting like she’d just run a marathon. “The clock disappeared! Marple-chan! Explosion!”

“Noel, calm yourself.” Vincent said.

The maid took a deep breath and calmed herself down before explaining what happened. Vincent stared at Noel. “So, what you’re saying is that Marple-chan ran off somewhere with a bomb? What is the time limit?”

“Considering boot up time, maybe an hour and a half…” Maou said before he and Noel took off down the hall, shouting for everyone to split up and cover more ground.

The princesses decided to head to town and as Garlett was about to ask Sora if he’d like to come, she noticed he wasn’t there. “I’ll get a bird’s eye view!” They both looked up and shouted in shock as they watched Sora defying physics again and running straight up the castle wall before hopping off at a high enough point and literally floating away.

“... How does he do these things?” Garlett asked in wonder.

“I have no clue, but we can’t worry about that right now!” Christina shouted before running off as well. Garlett was quick to follow.

* * *

Sora looked around from his vantage point, searching for the toddler. He growled a bit. As much as he wanted to clear as much ground as possible, he couldn’t see things very well from this point of view. He started to drop straight down, gliding again once he was a few stories from the ground. He saw a bunch of girls milling around in the road, finding how they were moving a bit odd.

He dropped down to the ground, looking around. The girls that noticed him only gave him a passing look at best. He hadn’t been in town since the day he and Duke’s party got there, but now that he was here… “This isn’t right… It’s like they’ve had all the life ripped out of them. “ he thought aloud. All of them, all of the girls looked as though they had lost their hearts, but had remained here, their eyes dull and their expressions were ones of profound hopelessness.

Everything in Sora screamed ‘Help them’, but he couldn’t, not now at least. He had someone to find. He started asking the girls if they had seen a kid running by with a clock in her hand when he heard a familiar voice.

“Demon King! Oh, wait, that’s Sora-kun~!” He turned to see the white mage he’d been travelling with and her younger brother walking up to him.

“Oh, hey, I don’t really have the time to catch up. Have you guys seen Marple-chan?”

“Marple? Yes, she’s at Luke’s, drinking pineapple juice.” The brother said. Sora took off without another word, unaware he was being followed. He ran into the tavern, looking around quickly. “Luke!” The elf finally noticed the boy dressed very much like the Demon King.

“Well, how can I help you, Maou-sama?” He joked.

“I don’t have time for jokes, Luke. Have you seen Marple!?” The bartender told him what the black mage had and Sora explained what was happening.

“Okay, that’s bad. What’s the next course of action, Sora?”

“Get Margaret and anyone else you can to form some search parties and spread out.” He ordered, suddenly seeming more like the man he was dressed as. “She can’t have gotten far and everyone else at the castle is already looking for her. Please, we don’t have much time!” He ran back out of the tavern, past a very pretty dancer girl.

She turned to watch him run off, gripping the knife she had hidden in her dress before following after him.

He ran around the town for a bit, most of the girls giving him frightened looks until they realized that it wasn’t actually Maou. Sora did look a bit like him, just with lighter hair. The boy growled and checked his watch. Three minutes!

“MARPLE! WHER ARE YOU!?”

“Sora-nii!” Sora froze as he heard Marple’s voice before other footsteps behind him got his attention, turning to see the rest of the castle crew had shown up.

“Sora! Have you had any luck!? We haven’t… found…” Christina trailed off as she looked up, the color slowly draining from her face. “MARPLE-CHAN!”

Sora looked up and saw the toddle was on top of a two-story building, the explosive in her hand.

“How!?” He asked in awe.

“She must have gotten up there while she was exploring.” Garlett said.

“No wonder we couldn’t find her.” Christina said.

“Marple, when we get home, you are in so much trouble.” Maou said with Noel nodding behind him.

“Yes, well, before that-” A rush of wind blew past Vincent and he turned to see Sora running up the side of the building. “Oh. Nevermind.”

“He can do that?!” Noel shouted.

Sora flipped into the air before landing behind Marple. She giggled and clapped before reaching for Sora. He snatched her up before taking the explosive. “Okay, I’ve got Marple and the bomb, now what do I do with it?!”

“Toss it down to Noel!” Maou screamed.

“Wait, why me?!”

“Heads up!” Sora launched the bomb down to Noel, the maid yelping as she caught it.

She whimpered as she tried to figure out was to do with it before she spotted one of the tessiters. “Tecitar, I leave the rest to you.” She said cheerily as she put the bomb in the little robots head.

“NOEL-SAMA, YOU CAN’T BE SERIOUS!”

Two more Tessiters showed up, wiping the faces with rags. “If you’re a man, you’ll become a bright star!”

“This must mean a double promotion!”

“ ** **Is that all?! IS THAT ALL?!**** ” The bomb launched the little bot into the sky before exploding in a brilliant flash of light. The blast wave was upon them almost instantly, but Sora was Sora. He Airstepped back down to his friends, Marple in his arms before throwing up a barrier around them to protect them from the blast.

Once it passed, Sora sighed a bit relief before looking down at the girl. She ducked her head a bit. “Is Sora-nii mad at Marple?”

He smiled at her and pat her head. “I will be later, but right now, I’m just happy you’re safe, kiddo.”

“Well,” Maou started. “This has been an eventful day. Let’s go home, everyone.”

As they turned to leave, Sora felt a chill run down his back. He’d been fighting long enough to know that feeling. They were in danger!

He turned just in time to hear the white mage’s voice calling out for Maou. His eyes widened as his arm was slashed, the boy crying out in pain and almost dropping his toddler passenger. He looked up to see the woman that attacked him. “Who are you?”

“Sora!” Maou and the rest of the party jumped in front of him, glaring at the woman who adopted a rather horrified expression.

“I… I thought… You put that hero in your outfit to make us think he was you!? Didn’t you?!”

“The outfit was a gift from one friend to another! Who are you?!” Maou demanded as Noel and Christina tended to Sora. Marple started crying and Vincent was trying to calm her down.

The woman grit her teeth. “Because of you… Because you came back… I went home to my home town, but they wouldn’t accept me back… In the end, this island was the only place I could come back to… I don’t have anywhere to go. No place to belong. You took everything from me.” She growled. “I don’t want your pity. You just give me food and tell me to live here with no purpose. It’s like I’m one of the walking dead…”

Sora’s eyes widened. “A city… of the dead…” That’s what this place was. All the girls looked like the walking dead, just moving from one place to the next. No goal, no purpose, no reason to be. He couldn’t imagine a worse hell.

“YOU SHOULD JUST DISAPPEAR!” She screamed at Maou.

The man was silent for a few moments. “Do as you wish. You have that right.”

She lifted the knife and brought it down into Maou’s shoulder. “DON’T YOU MAKE FUN OF ME!” Sora hid Marple’s face in his chest so that she wouldn’t see the wound on him or Maou. His pupils shrank to pinpricks when he saw it. Darkness, swirling around the girl. The darkness was trying to take her heart. And now that he looked around, she wasn’t the only one. What scared him was it was Christina and Garlett that were in the most danger. He’d never seen such empty looks in their eyes before.

Blood dripped to the ground and it wasn’t Sora’s. “Red… blood? The same… as me?” The girl’s knife clattered to the ground as she started to sob uncontrollably. It was when she dropped her weapon that _they_ showed up. A Neo Shadow lunged at the crying woman from behind and Maou stepped forward to save her, but he stopped. Everyone did. The Neo Shadow faded into black mist and Sora stood past where it had been. It less than a half a second, he drew his Keyblade and tore the Heartless in two.

More Heartless began to rise and Sora watched them before he jumped into the fight. “EVERYONE, GET INSIDE, NOW!” Maou shouted as he started herding girls inside.

Oathkeeper rang as it slashed through the Heartless, one after the other. The Heartless were attracted to hearts about to fall, but not all of these Heartless were Purebloods. He grit his teeth as he could feel the sting of tears in his eyes. _Some of these Heartless… are the girls that were here on the island! Why didn’t I see it?! Why didn’t I help them!?_ He roared in rage as he kept cutting them down, one by one.

He was so focused on destroying the Heartless in front of him, he didn’t notice the ones behind him until it was too late. He grit his teeth, ready to take the hit and strike back with a counter, but the Neo Shadow froze as a sword tip was run through its chest. He wasted no time, twisting around quickly and beheading the Heartless. He stared in awe at… “Garlett?! Christina?! What are you two doing?!”

Garlett had a shield and a sword now while Christina swung a plank of wood at the Heartless to keep them back. “Helping you, you idiot!” Garlett shouted back.

“We couldn’t just let you fight alone again!” Christina added.

“I don’t need the help! Please, just get to safety!” The Heartless formed a tight circle around them. “Okay, that’s not an option now. Get in close!” They got back to back to back, watching as the Heartless milled around them like predators cornering their kill.

“What are these things?!” Christina screamed, her voice very obviously shaking in fear.

“Heartless! They’re beings born from Darkness that devour hearts! So many of the girls here gave in to it when they came here and it drew them in!” _This place… This island… It’s steeped in Darkness. Not because of selfish deeds, but because of kind ones that were cruel in the worst way. But if that’s the case…_ Sora grit his teeth as the Heartless finally jumped at them. _If that’s the case…!_

Christina screamed and Garlett watched in terror. A blinding light shot up from the tide of attacking Heartless. The princesses covered their eyes for a moment before looking to Sora and freezing. His outfit’s color changed like it had before when he fought Zoltia. Now, it was predominately silver and black, the wind making the outfits cape flutter gently. “If that’s the case…” He lifted the second Keyblade, this own black with a purple gem inset. “Then I will the be the light that cuts through the Darkness!”

The Heartless roared as Sora turned to Christina, holding out the Kingdom Key to her. “I can’t fight and protect you at the same time. I know you’re sick, but now, in this moment, you have to be strong.” He didn’t give her time to answer, turning back around and gripping Oathkeeper as it reappeared in his hand. “Garlett, Christina, watch each others backs. And watch mine too. I’ll do the same. We don’t fight alone anymore!””

The Heartless rushed them and the three of them roared. Sora immediately started tearing through several at once as he spun, twirled and all but danced with the monsters, tearing them apart as if it were the easiest thing in the world. Garlett was having a bit of trouble with some of the stronger ones, but the smaller Heartless were easy enough for her to handle, but Christina was having the roughest time. She couldn’t swing fast enough to hit anything! Sora spun around slashed a few Heartless that she couldn’t hit as the girl went to her knees, coughing and hacking hard.

Sora and Garlett surrounded Christina, the blonde starting to sob. They were both hard pressed to keep her from being hurt and keeping themselves safe as well. She gripped Sora’s Keyblade tight, so tight her knuckles turned white. She hated this. Even when she was given a weapon to defend herself with, she was hopeless and weak. She stopped crying. She grit her teeth and stood up. She lifted the Keyblade high and screamed as she swung down, praying for a bolt of lighting. Just then, a massive bolt of lightning struck the Heartless and forced them apart.

Both the fighters around her were stunned. Hell, she was stunned. “Did… I do that?”

“See? You’re stronger than you think!” Sora said with a smile.

Christina lifted the Keyblade and aimed at a Shadow that had jumped into the air at her. “Fire!” A small ball of fire shot out and destroyed the Heartless.

This was the last Heartless she destroyed as Sora and Garlett, mostly Sora, cleaned up the rest. They were all panting heavily before they all slumped to the ground, back to back to back. Sora’s Keyblades, Oathkeeper, Oblivion, and the Kingdom Key, all blinked out as they rested. “Well, that was fun.”

He shouted in pain as the girls elbowed him in his ribs. Everyone slowly came out of hiding to where the three of them were. Christina had passed out and was resting against Sora. Garlett was close, but fighting to keep her eyes open. Sora was completely out already, soon followed by the red haired princess.

* * *

Sora awoke slowly, his eyes opening and taking in the sight of his room. He looked to his side, a bit shocked to see that Garlett and Christina weren’t in his bed tonight. They must have both been sleeping after the battle in town. He slid out of bed slowly, standing up and stumbling. He was a bit groggy, but he knew it would pass. He had to talk to Exoda. He had to.

He wandered the halls of Castle Arcadia, looking for Maou’s room He’d never bothered before and he hadn’t really explored very much, either. He opened a door, seeing if it was Maou’s room and saw it was someone’s bedroom. Christina’s. She was sleeping peacefully, bringing a smile to Sora’s face. He walked into the room quietly, grabbing a chair and sitting beside the bed.

His smile faded slowly as he heard her breathing hitching every couple of breaths. He gently brushed some of her hair out of her face, leaning in and kissing her forehead. “Sleep well, Christina.”

He exited her room just as silently as he entered, checking the next room and seeing that it was, predictably, Garlett’s. She was sleeping very much in a haphazard position compared to Christina. It made him chuckle. He walked in and pulled the blanket over the snoring princess. “You should be more careful about how you sleep. You’ll catch cold.” He gave Garlett the same treatment he had Christina, the red head smiling in her sleep.

Despite the peaceful looks the girls had on, the Darkness still swirled around them closely. It worried him. They were his friends and he’d already lost enough of those.

He stepped out of her room, his blue eyes taking on a cold, hard look. He started walking again, finally coming to what he figured was Exoda’s room, pushing open the door. He saw the man standing out on his balcony with Vincent and Noel. He stopped when he heard them talking.

“Milord, if you intend to go through with this, you need to do it soon.” Vincent said.

Maou sighed a bit. “Yes, I know.”

“You also know that so long as you are the Maou, that kindness of yours will hurt others. There’s nothing you can do to stop that, I’m afraid.”

“... I should know that, after all these years, but… In the end, I just can’t seem to make any involved with my life happy.”

“That’s not true!” Noel shouted,the two turning to look at her. “It’s… It’s not true… Next time, next time everything will work out.”

Maou was slow to turn and look back at the sky, he and Sora spotting a shooting star overhead. “ ** **Yeah. Let’s believe in that, Noel.**** ”


End file.
